Cover Your Tracks
by Backstroker98
Summary: Follow Joel and Ellie on their newest challenge: settling into a normal as can be life at Tommy's settlement. They'll form new friendships and relationships with other residents and face new challenges and enemies. No matter how safe their new home is, it can't protect them from the world's horrors. Eventual Joel/OC Possible Ellie/OC NOT I REPEAT NOT JOEL/ELLIE AT ALL
1. Welcome to Jackson County

A/N:

Hey All! So if you're like me than you are totally obsessed with The Last of Us. You've played through it a million times and cry harder and harder every time you play it. This is probably my favorite video game of all time and I've had the idea for this story for a while now. It is a family/friendship/romance story with **NO JOELxELLIE WHATSOEVER.** It is eventually going to be a JoelxOC story with possible ElliexOC but I haven't decided yet. It picks up right where the game left off and will take off from there. It will basically follow Joel and Ellie's transition from living in a place that is as close to what the world used to be before the outbreak rather than living in a quarantine zone or as a hunter. So let's begin the journey shall we!

Disclaimer: Everyting from The Last of Us belongs to Naughty Dog. I only own my OCs and original ideas

 **OOOOO**

 **SPRING**

"Okay."

But Ellie knew. She knew that Joel was lying to her. Her whole life she's been able to tell when people were being honest with her or hiding the truth and Joel was most definitely hiding the truth. She didn't know what the truth about the Fireflies was and maybe she'd never get to know, but what Joel told her wasn't it. She was in a hospital gown, she was under anesthesia, and then she was in the back of a car leaving Salt Lake City. The only thing she remembered prior to waking up in the car was drowning in the tunnel. That was the only vivid memory she had at least. There were several images of blurry ceiling and muttered chatter around her in the hospital but she was so tired she just kept falling back into a deep slumber. What happened while she was asleep? Were there others like her? Did the Fireflies really stop looking for a cure? She didn't believe the last part. The Fireflies wanted to reclaim the world again more than anyone, especially Marlene. They wouldn't just give up. Would they?

"Come on." Joel said as he began to turn towards the settlement. "We better get on with it."

Ellie began walking again and then realized during this entire journey, she was willing to do anything to help find a cure because she had nothing to lose. Even if she didn't make the trip, at least she would have died trying. She never had any parents around and her best friend died meaning there'd be no one around to miss her if she never came back. If she had nothing to lose, she wanted to give anything she could to feel some sort of peace for not dying when she should have. She didn't lose her mind with Riley, she didn't lose her mind like Tess refused to and Sam did by concealing his bite… the guilt of those deaths consumed her. Although Henry wasn't bitten, he killed himself because his brother was, making some guilt sit on Ellie's shoulders. All that death plus the millions more who died and experienced loss due to the Cordyceps outbreak because there was no cure. Ellie would have done anything for that cure because she had nothing to lose and no one to miss her.

Until now.

Now she had someone she cared about and cared for her. For the first time, in a long time, she had something-someone-to _live_ for.

Even though Joel lied to her about whatever what went down with the Fireflies back in Salt Lake City, she was able to put it in the back of her mind. He was her reason to live. He was her reason to fight. _Whether it's two minutes or two days…we don't give that up._

Riley's words echoed in Ellie's brain and she let out a sad breath as she walked. She may not ever forgive Joel for taking away Ellie's possibility to find peace, she knew she could it behind them now. They were only a few yards away from a new beginning. A new life. A new home.

"Stop right there." an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind.

Ellie and Joel both stopped in their tracks. All Ellie could think was "Are you kidding me?" They were about to break through the tree line to where the gates to the settlement were and now they were being held up. They just could not catch a break.

"Put your hands up and turn around slowly." the voice commanded.

Ellie and Joel both obeyed the orders and turned around, their hands in the air. When they turned, they came face to face with a woman holding a shotgun. The woman looked to be in her early to mid-forties based on the lines that accented her face and graying of her brown hair. She was dressed in blue jeans with a knife strapped to hip and a misbuttoned dirty white button up. Since she was standing with her body facing them, Ellie was able to see she had a what most would describe as an average body. She wasn't thin like the girl on the poster back in Pittsburg but she wasn't overweight either. (Like Bill) She was an average height, probably around the five seven, five eight ballpark.

When both Joel and Ellie had turned around, the woman lowered her gun a tad as her eyes landed on Joel. Both he and Ellie noticed this. It was as if this woman knew who Joel was when the look of recognition spread across her face. Only Joel has never seen this woman before in his life.

"Are you Tommy's brother?" the woman questioned.

"Yes." Joel answered. "How'd you know?"

The woman lowered her gun completely, allowing Ellie and Joel to lower their hands. "He has a few photos of you and him in him and Maria's living room." the woman explained as she took a few steps closer to them. "Sorry about that. There were some bandits lurking around here about two weeks ago and the place is still a bit cautious."

The woman stopped when she was only a couple of feet from where Joel and Ellie stood. "I'm Sadie. Sadie Hickman. And I am going to assume that you are here to join our settlement here in the wonderful Jackson County, Wyomming."

"That assumption would be correct, ma'am." Joel replied.

Sadie rested her shotgun on her shoulder. "Well then you two can follow me. I'm on my way back in anyhow."

Sadie led the duo to the gate which stood tall with two patrol towers on either side of the doors. "Who's that with you Sadie?" a voice called out from the left one.

"It's Tommy's brother, Joel. You'd think I'd just bring anyone in here, Josh?" Sadie responded. "Now open the door, Marty!"

Marty opened the gate from the inside and let them through. Sadie led Joel and Ellie through the gates, Marty closing the gate behind them. Marty looked to be in his mid-thirties and had his black hair cut in a buzz cut. He was pretty buff and looked like he could handle himself pretty well, probably why he was a patrol. Young and fit.

"Thanks, man." Sadie said.

"No problem." Marty replied before looking at Joel and Ellie.

Ellie stuck close to Joel now that she was getting surrounded by more and more unfamiliar people. She looked around and just from what she saw right at the entrance of the settlement she was shocked. There were houses all around with small gardens in the front and back of them all growing some sort of food. She could see a few homes with pens full of chickens and others with a couple of goats chewing on some grass. Ellie remembered Maria talking about the livestock the settlement had and smiled. This place really was all she had said. The growing food, the livestock, the homes…it seemed so normal and abnormal at the same time. Normal in the sense that there were no soldiers patrolling the streets all but harassing people and the awful stench of the city floating in the air. Abnormal in the sense that that Ellie had never lived in a place like this. Normal used to be a military boarding school in Boston. Not anymore.

"Where's Tommy?" Joel asked Sadie as she led them away from the gate and deeper into the settlement. "He around?"

"He and Maria are actually back at the dam." Sadie informed him. "We have men there at all times that work in shifts and apparently one of them finally cleaned up the one turbine and may be on the way to get it working. Another turbine means more electricity and power for this place."

"Any idea of when they'll be back?"

"They left the day before yesterday and I doubt they'll be gone longer than another day or two. I can take you to the plant tomorrow if you'd like though. I understand if you're anxious to see your brother again."

Joel shook his head. "No that's quite alright. If he'll only be a day or two I can wait."

"Well alright."

Sadie led the two to a house a short walk from the gate. It was two floors from what Joel could tell with a small garden in front of it. There were steps that led up to a porch with two chairs and a table between them. "You probably already took notice, but every house has a garden in the front and back that grows crops. Some places have livestock, but most of the livestock is taken care of on the other side of the settlement by a couple of residents who farmed before the world went downhill." Sadie explained to them before turning to face them. "This is your house. We have a few vacant houses set aside for people, but Tommy set this one aside just for you two. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen."

"Are you and Tommy friends?" Joel asked Sadie as she led them up the porch steps.

"Close ones. So I know about your visit this past fall. Sad to see there's no cure for humanity."

Ellie glanced at Joel as his lie to her returned to the front of her head. She wanted to see his reaction to Sadie's statement. "It is a shame." he was all he said as they followed Sadie into the house. . When they entered the house, all the thoughts about Joel, his lie, and the Fireflies left her mind as she took in the home. There was a hallway that led down to what Ellie guessed was the kitchen, but there was an empty doorway directly to the right that led to the living room. She walked into it and looked around. The living room was fully furnished with a couch, recliner, coffee table, a shelf full of VCR tapes and small TV. There was another empty doorway on the other side of the room that led into the kitchen so when you were in the living room, you could still see the kitchen. All the furniture was facing the opposite direction as the entrance Ellie came in and faced the TV.

"We don't have cable, but we do have tape players. Tommy had all your favorite movies stocked in here a while back." Sadie told Joel as she gravitated towards the kitchen. "There are a few sets of clean clothes if both bedrooms and the kitchen has a week's worth of food in it. We have a type of ration system where we give each home enough food that will support the family for a week. Then at the end of the week, there's a food pick up at the settlement hall."

Ellie looked around the living room and set her backpack down on the couch. She hadn't even seen the rest of the house, but she loved it already. It felt like home.

Joel wandered into the kitchen and looked around. There was a sink on the far side of the room, a small fridge of to the left and the oven/stove to the right. There was a counter in the middle of room with cabinets and drawers where Joel guessed the dishes were stored. Finally, there was a small window above the sink that allowed you to see the backyard.

"This is quite the set up." Joel commented as he looked around the kitchen.

"It is ain't it?" Sadie responded as he looked back at Ellie who was looking at their movie collection.

"Other than the homes, we have the settlement hall where we give out the food and have the occasional town dinner where we have also have music and dancing. They normally happen once a month or so. There's also an infirmary which is three doors down from here. We're lucky to have not one but two doctors living in town. We have an armory, but only certain people have access to it. Other than that…that's pretty much it." Sadie told Joel and Ellie. "I'd offer to take you on a tour, but you two look like you could use some time to clean up and rest."

Joel stopped wandering around the kitchen and looked at Sadie. She was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. "Any questions?" she asked.

"Not at the moment. Still kind of speechless from the whole set up here."

Sadie laughed a small laugh. "Understandable. I can stop by tomorrow morning and take you on the grand tour and answer any questions you might muster up tonight."

"Sounds like a plan." Joel told her as he held out a hand. Sadie smiled and shook it. "Then I will see you two in the morning."

She let go of his hand and headed to the door, but stopped when she reached for the doorknob. "Oh and if there's anything wrong with anything, I live on the far side of the settlement." she told them.

"Thank you." Joel said as he joined Ellie in the living room.

Sadie simply nodded before leaving the house. Once she closed the door, Joel turned towards Ellie. "So whadda you think, kiddo?" he asked.

Ellie looked around the room again and smiled before looking back at Joel. "I think we'll be happy here."

Joel smiled. "Well let's go check out the upstairs, yeah?"

"Yeah."

The upstairs was only the two bedrooms and the bathroom with a tiny hallway leading to them. Ellie poked her head in the first door to the left and knew it was the bedroom intended for her based on the bed's dark purple comforter with black floral print. "Safe to say this one is mine." Ellie told Joel as she stepped into it. Besides the bed, there was a small desk on the far side of the room with a small window above it. There was a small stack of books on top of it along with a couple of notebooks as well. There was a bedside table with a lamp on it, a closet on the right wall and that was it. Small, simple, and just enough. Ellie sat on the bed and felt let her hands rub the comforter for a moment, feeling its softness. She smiled to herself.

Joel's room was a tad bigger with a dark green comforter on the large bed and a book shelf against the wall opposite to the bed. Joel could already see some of his favorite books on it. There was a desk with a stack of maps and pens and pencils in separate cups. He also had a dresser rather than a closet like Ellie had in hers. He walked over to it and opened the drawers, finding some jeans, t-shirts, a few button ups, clothes to sleep in, and a handful of socks and underwear. There were also two pairs of boots sitting next to the dresser on the floor. He made a mental note to ask Sadie about the deal with laundry tomorrow. Joel set his backpack down against the dresser and that's when he noticed it. A guitar sitting in the corner. He walked over to it and picked it up, strumming it twice and smiling. He set it down again and remembered he told Ellie he'd teach her to play. He set his backpack on the floor and went over to the bed, sitting down on it and then laying back. He smiled to himself.

 **OOOOO**

That night Joel and Ellie had the luxury of taking a shower, Ellie letting Joel go first so he could make dinner for the both of them and it be done when Ellie got out from her shower. The hot water felt so good against Joel's skin. It seemed like it's been age since he had a proper washing, let alone one with soap and hot water. He didn't take long and was in and out of the shower within five minutes. He brushed his teeth at the sink and then his eyes fell on the razor and shaving cream inside the medicine cabinet. After a moment of internal debate, he grabbed them both and got to work. Within ten minutes, his beard was gone. Once he was done in the bathroom he went to his room and got changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a dark red long sleeved shirt before heading downstairs. By then the water was starting up again upstairs signaling Ellie got in the shower.

Ellie came downstairs just as Joel was pulling out plates and silverware. She was in a pair of purple and white sleep pants and a black long sleeved shirt, her wet hair down for once rather than in a ponytail so it could dry.

"Holy shit Joel." she said when she noticed his clean shaved face. "You shaved."

Joel chuckled as he scooped some noodles onto a plate for Ellie. There was pasta and alfredo sauce in the pantry so that's what he made as their first meal in their new home. "Sure did. Been meaning too."

Joel slid Ellie her plate and told her to pick out a movie for them to watch while they ate and get it set up. She smiled. "You got it." she said and took her plate before going into the living room. She set her plate of food down and went over to the shelf of movies. There was a bunch and didn't know where to start. Rather than overthink it she closed her eyes, waved her hands around, and the stuck her finger on a random one. They'd be watching Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. She pulled it out and set it up in the TV just as Joel sat down on the couch with his plate.

"What did you pick out, kiddo?" he asked.

"Gran Torino." Ellie told him as she saw down and grabbed her plate.

"Ah great movie. With one of Hollywood's most notable actors."

The two ate and watched the movie and within thirty minutes Ellie was Clint Eastwood's newest fan even though he was long gone. So when the movie ended with his character's death, she went nuts. "He was the main character!" she exclaimed. "How could they kill him?"

Joel just chuckled at the girl's reaction. "That's Hollywood, kiddo."

"Holly what?"

Joel laughed again. "Come on. You can continue the rant while you help me clean up dinner."

Ellie and Joel cleaned up the kitchen from dinner and Ellie continued to go on about the movie's ending. I mean the guy reading the will was funny and all, but the main character! How?!"

Joel didn't say anything and just smiled.

Once the kitchen was cleaned the sun had been down for a while and both of them were exhausted. They turned off the lights and TV before heading upstairs. Ellie walked into her room and Joel went into his. "Night Joel." Ellie said when she realized this would be the first time she and Joel would be in different rooms to sleep in for the first time since they began their journey almost a year ago.

"Night Ellie." Joel replied as he walked into his room. He turned and looked at her for a moment before closing the door. Ellie closed hers as well.

"The main character!" she said aloud to herself, but Joel heard her and laughed.

This place…he had a good feeling about it.


	2. Let Me Show You Around

Joel was the first one to wake up the next morning. After a long day of traveling the day before and an evening of alfredo and Clint Eastwood, it didn't take him long to fall asleep. Especially now that he was in an actual bed with a mattress, pillows, and blankets for his slumber. When he first laid down he was immediately comfortable, but there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach due to the fact that the red-haired teenager he's spent every day and night with for the better part of a year traveling with was across the all rather than two feet away from him. Once he reminded himself several times that she was just across the hall sleeping in her own bed safe and sound, he managed to fall asleep.

It was still on the early side when Joel woke up, only about seven thirty, so he decided to just lay in the sheets a little while longer. He thought back to the last year of his life and how much he's changed. A year ago he was in Boston smuggling things in and out of the city and living in a crappy one room apartment by himself. Now he was living in a real community. There were no soldiers here, no martial law, no fireflies, no smuggling…this place was truly one of a kind. He didn't miss Boston at all. The only thing he missed about the place was Tess. Joel closed his eyes and felt a pain at the thought of his closest friend. It still hurt to think of her.

If one thing didn't happen the way it did, he wouldn't be in this settlement with what he could assume were good people and his brother and on his way to a living a life like there was in the old world. Things would never be exactly like they were almost twenty one years ago, but this was as close as it could get. Joel thought of how if Robert wouldn't have sent those men after Tess that day and of he didn't sell the guns to the Fireflies, he would have never been employed by Marlene to smuggle Ellie out of Boston. He never would have had to cross the country and go through everything he did with the almost fifteen year old across the hall.

Realizing he was getting a little too deep into his thoughts this early in the morning, Joel decided to get up and get his head somewhere else. He made his bed like he always did and left his room to go start some breakfast for him and Ellie. Before going downstairs, he quietly opened Ellie's bedroom door to check on her. She was still out like a light, laying on her stomach with her arms under her pillow. Joel felt a small smile at the sight of the young girl so deep in her slumber. After the year they had, she deserved it.

Joel headed down to the kitchen and opened the pantry to see what he could cook up for breakfast. There were several cans of bacon Spam that he decided would be a good portion for a first real breakfast. Then he grabbed some eggs out of the fridge along with two pans and got to cooking. He himself enjoyed eggs over easy, but knew Ellie hated them. "The yolk is raw!" she said when he cooked them one time with some eggs they found in a bird's nest. "Raw! It's disgusting!" Chuckling at the memory, Joel scrambled eggs some for the teenager.

As he fried up Ellie's eggs, he heard footsteps upstairs. She was up. He heard her move around and could even make up a door closing in her room. She was probably putting some of her things away that she traveled with. He couldn't help but think of that damn pun book she loved so much. Most of the jokes were pretty bad, but he'd be lying if he said there weren't a few he got a kick out of.

Joel was plating Ellie's food when she came walking down the stairs. "Damn." he voice sounded as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Something smells good." She came over and leaned against the counter as Joel placed the plate in front of her. "Eat up." he told her as he went back to plate his own food. "Sadie said she'd be here sometime this morning to show us the rest of the settlement."

"I know." Ellie said as she got a fork. "Which reminds me."

Joel turned slightly to look at her as she pulled something out of her pajama pants. From here he could tell it was a necklace of some kind. "I was putting my stuff away and this was in the bottom of my bag." she told him as she held the necklace up. Only it wasn't just any necklace. It was a Firefly pendant. Joel turned all the way around as curiosity consumed him. What was so relevant to the pendant and why did Ellie have it?

"Back at the university." Ellie began as she looked at it. "When we were in the room where the monkeys were, I found this on the one shelf. These things seemed to be laying around the weirdest places and I sort of started collecting them with the intention to give them back to Marlene."

"What's so special about that one?" Joel asked as he crossed his arms.

"The name on it is Sadie Hickman."

Joel uncrossed his arms and walked over to her. He looked at the pendant in Ellie's hand as there it was. Sadie Hickman engraved into the metal. "Well would you look at that." he said as he went back to the stove to get his food. "Guess we know how she met Tommy now."

"Should I give it back to her?" Ellie asked as she got some food on her fork.

"I would. It's hers and she might want it back."

Joel set his plate down on the counter across from Ellie and began to eat it. "Gross." Ellie said when he cut into his over easy eggs and the yolk ran out. "You and those raw yolks."

"Would you just eat your breakfast?" Joel said through a chuckle.

Ellie took a bite of her scrambled eggs. "Thanks for breakfast, Joel."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

 **OOOOO**

After breakfast, Joel and Ellie both got dressed in the fresh clothes that were in their rooms. It felt nice to get out of the same ratty clothes they've been wearing for who knows how long. Since the weather was getting warmer and they weren't in the danger of infected while within the settlement's walls, Ellie chose to wear a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark red muscle shirt. There was even a pair of Converse for her that were obviously not brand new, but they were as new as it got. They were a little worn, but in pretty good shape overall. She slipped them on, grabbed Sadie's pendant from her desk, and then trotted downstairs while Joel finished getting dressed.

While downstairs, Ellie put the dishes from breakfast away that Joel cleaned after they finished eating. By the time she was done, she heard Joel's footsteps coming down the steps. She turned around just as he came into view. He was in a pair of jeans, wore a new pair of brown work boots, and a black t-shirt. "Did Sadie tell you what time she'd be here?" Ellie asked him just as a knock sounded on the door. Joel walked over to the front door and opened it, finding Sadie standing right outside. She looked a lot different from yesterday. She was all cleaned up and had her long, brown hair brushed neatly and held her bangs back with a gray headband. She was wearing a pair of high waisted jeans shorts with an army green button up tucked in and work boots on her feet.

"Morning." she greeted with a bright smile. "How are you?"

Joel smiled back at her. "Just fine. How are you?"

"Great thanks for asking. You and Ellie ready for that tour?"

Joel turned and looked at Ellie who was now standing in the living room. "Ellie?"

"Yeah let's go." the teenager said as she walked towards the door.

The duo followed Sadie off the porch and let her lead the way. "So I thought I'd show you the infirmary, the hall, and maybe introduce you to a few people. Like I said, there isn't a whole lot." Sadie told them.

"Sounds good." Joel replied as he looked around. There were several people out watering crops in their gardens still in their pajamas. There were others who walked past them on their way to another destination. Every person who noticed the duo looked at Joel and Ellie, the new and unfamiliar faces of the settlement, with curiosity. All the looks had the same silent statement. _Who the hell are they?_ Joel turned his attention away from all the looks and looked at Sadie. "So what's your story?"

Sadie looked at Joel. "Well I'm originally from Spokane, Washington." she began. "I was twenty-five when the outbreak hit. I was in the Seattle quarantine zone for a few years before I joined the Fireflies. I wouldn't have joined if not for Marlene."

"Why's that?" Joel asked.

"I knew Marlene pretty well before the outbreak." Sadie explained. "She grew up in Spokane, too. Hell I even baby sat her a few times… she's seven years younger than me. Anyway she found me in Seattle after she took over the Fireflies and that was when I was I want to say around thirty and she convinced me to join. Not even a full year later Tommy joined and we became fast friends. We were with the Fireflies for almost three years before we left. Then we were on our way to Jackson City when we bumped into Maria and her father who were just starting to build up the settlement. After that well you know the rest."

Joel couldn't help but feel guilty. Sadie knew Marlene. Not just as a Firefly, but before the outbreak. The two were close, they were friends, and knowing he was the one to kill her made him feel a twang of guilt. He had to remind himself that Marlene would have come after Ellie for the cure if he hadn't of done what he did to make the guilt fade. But some of it was still there.

"Oh uh Sadie?" Ellie's voice sounded. "I have something of yours."

Sadie stopped and turned to look at Ellie who was on her left. "Something of mine?"

"Yeah. I found it at the University of Eastern Colorado."

Ellie held up the Firefly pendant to her and Joel watched the expression on Sadie's face. Her mouth opened a little to take in a barely audible breath. "Oh my." she said as she took the pendant from Ellie's hand and examined it. "I haven't seen this in years…"

"Figured you'd want it back." Ellie said.

Sadie looked at her and smiled. "Thank you very much."

Sadie tucked her pendant in her pocket and led Joel and Ellie to where she was taking them. One of the things Joel improved on after the outbreak was evaluating people very carefully. If he didn't get a good vibe from them, he knew to be wary and cautious about them. If he could tell they were a good person, he knew that he could trust them. He could tell Sadie was a good person. Especially if he and Tommy were close friends. He made a mental note that Sadie was someone he could trust.

It wasn't that long a walk to the house Sadie was taking them. It was three doors down from Joel and Ellie's place-the infirmary. This house was one level, but it was much longer in length than the other houses. The window on the front of the house were a bit bigger and the shades were open to let lots of sunshine in. There was a bigger porch, too with a porch swing to the right of the door. Sadie led them up the steps and inside.

Once inside, it was easy to tell it was an infirmary. Right after walking, the room to the right was what would have been a living room but was instead filled with a row of cots that were neatly made with curtains between them. In the corner of the room were two large medical cabinets sitting on the floor that were wooden and Joel could tell they were locked shut. There was also a sink on the other side of the room with a shelf above it that held what Joel could see was a box of rubber gloves and disinfectant wipes. Ellie herself was already amazed at the sight. It was so clean and tidy and she couldn't even guess what kinds of things were in those medical cabinets if they were under lock and key. The room was pristine and she was curious to see what the rest of the infirmary looked like.

"This is where patients who are too ill or injured to stay in their homes stay." Sadie explained.

"You ever have to stay in here?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah twice actually."

"What for?"

"I got sick with pneumonia a couple years ago. Then last summer I tore my ACL."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it. Let me show you the rest of the place."  
Sadie led them through the room which into a larger back room. In this room was one large table with a blanket draped over it with a stand up light next to it. There was also a heart monitor next to the table and a sink on the far wall. On the opposite wall were several cabinets that again were under lock and key. Seeing this room made Joel take half a step back. The room looked very similar to the surgery room that he took Ellie from.

"The surgery wing." Sadie told Ellie and Joel.

"Wow." Ellie said as she walked into the room and looked around. "Where'd you find all this stuff?"

"A hospital in Jackson City." Sadie told her as she walked into the room. "This was the first thing we put together once we had a couple of houses built and had the electric fence working."

"How'd you manage to get it all here?"

"An old U-Haul."

"A what?"

"Very large truck."

"Gotcha."

Joel noticed Sadie head for the door on the left side of the room and followed her and Ellie, the memories of seeing those doctors standing over Ellie ready to cut into her head and take out her brain. He let out a breath and tried to get the memories out of his head.

The next room had two cots, a small bedside table between them with a lamp sitting on top of it, a large dresser, and a closet. "Where the doctors sleep." Sadie explained.

"Where are they now of they ain't here?" Joel asked.

"With their family at their own home. They only stay here full time when there are patients to be taken care of around the clock. When there's no one laid up in the beds, they don't get in until a little after nine."

"You don't lock the doors to keep people out?"

"We never had a problem with people stealing here. If you are caught stealing or breaking any rules, you're out. Besides all the cabinets are locked and the doctors are the only ones with a key to them. Oh and the doctor's names are Devon and Mayella. I'll introduce you later sometime."

Once the tour of the infirmary concluded, Sadie took them to the settlement hall. It wasn't much. It was a large one floor building with long wooden tables and benches and windows along the wall. What caught Joel's attention was the stage and open space at the front of it. "Like I said, there's music and dancing once a month here. A night of fun to forget the world for a couple of hours." Sadie reminded them.

"So do the kids go to school or anything like that?" Ellie asked, hoping the answer was no. It wasn't that she hated school, she liked learning, but she hated it when she couldn't understand something because it made her feel stupid. She liked learning about science and English-she always enjoyed reading-but math could fall off a cliff and die. She understood math until the alphabet started to make its way into the equation.

"Well out of the thirty families here, there are about fifteen teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who don't do your basic school work." Sadie told Ellie. "Rather than teach them what microorganisms are and how to solve for x in an equation, we let them help with jobs around the settlement so they learn skills that can help them in the world we live in. They learn to care for the livestock, help build new houses, assist in the infirmary and fixing any damages to the settlement…this way they are learning things that are useful to their survival."

Joel turned to see Ellie's response and rolled his eyes when he saw the look of satisfaction appear on her face. "So what kinds of jobs are here that I can do?" he asked as he took a seat at the one table and Ellie continued to wander around the room and looking at the activity outside.

Sadie turned to face him and walked over to sit at the table across from him. "Well I remember Tommy mentioning you did work in carpentry before the outbreak. You could definitely be an asset to our construction crew we have. Think you'd be down for that?"

Joel smiled a small smile. "Yes ma'am." he told her. "Mind me asking what you do around here?"

"I'm the settlement's mechanic." Sadie told him. "I work on any cars that our supply run guys manage to find and bring back. I've managed to bring about ten cars back to life."

"Holy shit. You have ten running cars here?" Joel was surprised. Back when he and Ellie left Boston they had to go through so much work just to get a car battery and then got hoarded by infected to role the damn truck down a hill only to lose the truck in Pittsburg.

"I'm good at what I do and there were a bunch of cars in the city we were able to bring back. Only problem now is Jackson if getting too dangerous to go into. Lots of infected and we can't afford to lose people."

"Did a lot of your supplies come from there?"  
Sadie nodded. "That's where we got the big stuff. The medical equipment, the cars, lots of weapons and ammo from the police stations and then some more."

A silence fell between the two before the doors to the front of the hall opened and a man came in. He was tall and scrawny with shaggy blonde hair who couldn't be older than seventeen. Neither Joel nor Ellie knew the guy, but figured Sadie would. "What's up Brandon?" Sadie asked as she look past Joel at the boy.

"Uh it's Zach…" the man name Brandon said, withholding some information in the presence of strangers. "It's an emergency."

"Oh for the love of Christ." Sadie cursed as she stood up. "I am so sorry you two. I have to go take care of this. Mind if I find you later?"

"It's no problem." Joel told her. "Take care of what needs to be taken care of."

"Thank you."

Sadie rushed out of the hall with the Brandon guy on her heels. Ellie walked over and sat in front of Joel. "Well what now?" she asked through a breath.

"We could go introduce ourselves to some of the people here." Joel suggested.

"Eh."

Joel let out a sigh. "You know kiddo we're eventually going to have to meet these."

"The keyword of that sentence is _eventually_. Can't we do something else for the time being?"

"Like what?"

"Go for a walk and check out the perimeter or something."

"Alright, but you better be polite to anyone who comes up to us."

"Alright."

Joel and Ellie left the hall and headed towards the perimeter fence to have a look around. There were a lot more people around now going about their daily chores. Some young kids were paying tag and there were a couple of teenagers carrying some boxes towards the town hall. Most of the people waved and greeted them with a "hello" or "how are you?" which both Ellie and Joel replied to with the appropriate response. When they reached the fence they walked along it in silence for a few minutes as they each gathered there thought and took in the beautiful scenery Wyoming offered. The mountains, the blooming plants…it was all quite beautiful. Before either of them got too deep in their thoughts, Joel spoke.

"So is this everything you were hoping for?" he asked her, causing the young girl to smile as she thought back to the two times he's used that line before. Once in Boston when they looked at the Capitol building from a distance and once as they looked at the herd of giraffes in Salt Lake City. She thought about it. It would definitely take some time to transition back into a society after spending a year on with just Joel crossing the country and she wasn't exactly excited about all the meet and greets she'd most likely have to get out of the way, but she had a home here. A real home. She had Joel, Tommy, and Maria, and she would get to know other people and make new friends.

"It's got its ups and downs." Ellie told him as she stopped and looked at the view of the mountains from where they stood and pressed her lips together in a smile before speaking. "But you can't deny that view though."

Joel smiled and put an arm around Ellie's shoulders as they began walking again. "I think we'll be alright here, Kiddo."

"Me too, Joel."

 **OOOOO**

 _A/N:_

 _Thank you to those who have already began following the story and left kind reviews. They made my morning the other day! Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, it was sort of unavoidable since I didn't want to just jump into Ellie and Joel adjusted to town life. Oh and just in case you didn't find the pendant, the Sadie Hickman firefly pendant is real and in the game where I explained it in the story. I had trouble coming up with a name for Sadie but as I conjured up a backstory for her, I got the idea to look at the Firefly pendants you can find in the game and then vwalla! Anyway please continue to read and review and follow! Thanks for reading!_

 _-Backstroker98_


	3. Family

Tommy and Maria returned to the settlement the next morning. Joel was making breakfast for him and Ellie while she read her comic at the counter when there was rapid knocking on the front door. Joel looked at the door and then at Ellie who shrugged before hopping off her stool to go answer the door. Joel quickly turned the stove off and covered the chipped beef in the pan with a lid. "Let me get it, Kiddo." he said to Ellie as he took the dish towel he had slung over his shoulder off and placed it on the counter. He passed Ellie who stayed in the doorway of the living room and kitchen as she watched Joel go to the door. When he opened it, it only took a second to recognize his brother on the porch with his wife.

"You are here." Tommy said through a breath before going in to hug his brother. Joel met him in the embrace and hugged his younger brother tightly.

Neither Tommy nor Maria seemed to have changed much since the fall. Tommy's hair was shorter and Maria's was down to her shoulders now, but other than that they seemed to have stayed the same. Tommy was in jeans and a light brown flannel while Maria kept it simple in jeans and long sleeved gray shirt.

"Hey little brother." Joel replied with a light chuckle. "How you doin'?"

Tommy took a step back from his brother and looked at him. "Better now."

Joel looked at Maria and gave her a smile. "Hey Maria."

The blonde woman stepped forward and hugged him. Joel was a little surprised at the action, but hugged her back nevertheless. "Thank you." she whispered so only he would here. Joel knew right away what the thank you was for. She was thanking him for not taking her husband away from her. She was thanking him for keeping her husband out of the crosshairs. She was thanking him for letting her keep one of the few things she loved and cared about in this world.

"Anytime." Joel replied as he hugged her a little tighter before letting go.

He let the two in and the three stood in the front hallway together for a moment when Ellie finally came into sight. "Hey kid!" Tommy said happily when he first noticed her presence. "How are ya?"

Joel turned to look at Ellie and immediately noticed how she was standing. Her arms were crossed across her body and her shoulders were slightly hunched forward. Joel recognized this particular stance because it was how she'd stand around him when they first met. She stood like that because she felt uncomfortable and unsure of what to do with herself. At least that's what Joel assumed. As the time they spent together day in and day out on their journey increased, she seemed to relax. Her general body positions became more comfortable and how she interacted with Joel changed as well. She seemed to be less self-conscious about what she said and how she said. So Joel guessed being around Tommy and Maria, two people she didn't know all that well and has only met once several months ago, she wasn't very comfortable.

"I'm pretty good." Ellie answered, her tone sounding unsure of herself as she stayed frozen to her spot.

"I'm glad to see you again." Maria told her.

"Me too." Tommy seconded.

Ellie's arm unfolded and she stood up a little straighter. "Really?"

"Yeah." Maria replied as she walked over to the young girl. "It was really nice meeting you back in the Fall. I was hoping I'd get to see you again."

Ellie smiled. "I was hoping to see you, too."

Maria gave the girl a smile and then stood next to her before draping an arm around her shoulders. "You two settling in alright?" Maria asked Ellie and Joel.

"Yeah." Joel answered before looking at Tommy. "Your friend Sadie is the one who showed us around and got us settled."

Tommy smiled and nodded. "Yeah that sure sounds like Sadie."

"She said you met in the Fireflies?"

"Sure did. Been close ever since."

"She took off yesterday though. Had something to take care of."

"Yeah probably something with Zach would be my guess. Anyway Maria and I just got back and have to go check on a few things, but why don't the two of you swing by our place for dinner tonight?" Tommy suggested. "We can do some much needed catching up."

"Sounds good, brother." Joel replied, but then looked over at Ellie. He wanted to make sure she was alright with that. "Ellie?"

"Yeah totally." the young girl told him with a smile. Maria gave Ellie a side hug and then went back to her husband' side. "See you tonight then you two. We're the first house you see after coming through the gate."

After that the two left Joel and Ellie's house and Joel went back to making him and Ellie's breakfast. As he stirred around the chipped beef in the pan, he noticed the absence of the sound of comic book pages flipping and turned his head to look at Ellie. She was sitting at the counter again, but her comic book was closed and Ellie was looking at her hands. Even though they've spent almost a full year together, Joel still struggled with talking with her when there was something bothering her. Sarah was always very open with him when she had some sort of issue and most of Sarah's problems were easy fixes since grew up in a normal household in a normal time. Almost all her problems with the other girls on her soccer team or someone at school. She never reached the age where she had boyfriends, only small crushes, so Joel never had to console her with heartbreak or rejection either. And Sarah very rarely brought up her mother. Joel could only recall a few occasions where Sarah asked about her or brought her up. Unfortunately where Sarah was open and forward about her problem, Ellie normally kept quiet with hers unless it was really serious. Like when Joel was ready to send her off with Tommy. Joel knew he'd have to get better at this sort of thing and figured this was a good place to start.

"Penny for your thoughts there, Kiddo?" Joel said, causing Ellie to look up at him.

"What?"  
Joel chuckled a little and turned the stove down to keep the food warm before turning around and walking over to the counter. He leaned against it and crossed his arms. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Nothing." Ellie told him, but that was clearly not the case.

"Ellie I know when there's something up with you. If you don't wanna talk about it that's fine but if you do, well…I'm here for that sort of thing."

Ellie gave Joel a long look. She could see he was trying. Trying to be helpful and trying to be there for her which she appreciated, but she didn't know how to open up to Joel. Then she remembered there conversation before they entered Jackson. She was able to talk about Riley, her survivor's guilt, her suspicions about Salt Lake City…she could do this.

Ellie let out a breath. "I never had a…family." she told Joel. "My mom died when I was really young and I have no memories of any kind of father. I didn't know any of my parents' family and all the memories I have are me living in the quarantine zone being raised by people I didn't really have a relationship with before they sent to that boarding school without a second thought. It's just when Maria and Tommy were happy to see me and said they were hoping to see me again…it just made me feel good. It felt like I was wanted."

Hearing Ellie say that caused Joel's heart to ache a bit. It was sad to see any human being like Ellie feeling unwanted. She was strong, caring, selfless, and her heart was in the right place about pretty much everything. There was never a moment where Ellie came across as selfish or weak. She fought like hell across the country not for herself but others knowing her life was in constant danger. And on that journey, Joel realized how strong she was. She took on all kinds of infected from runners to bloaters, faced the evils of Pittsburg, and even worse than that…she survived her encounter with David. After they fled that terrible place Joel didn't dare mention it again except once. He brought it up once they were to safety, only to make sure she was alright and to ask exactly what had happened. She told him and he listened and that was that. For the rest of their trip she wasn't herself again until they saw those giraffes in Salt Lake City. She came back from that trauma only to prove Joel's point about her strength.

The point was that Ellie didn't deserve to feel unwanted. She was a good person, a lot better than most were in this world. She of all people didn't deserve the feeling of not being wanted and Joel needed to make sure she knew that she was.

"Ellie," he began as he leaned forward on his elbows. "Boston was a pretty shitty place with even shittier people. I woke up one day with the thoughts of it just bein' another day. Next thing I knew I'm tryin' to get you to the Capitol Building and then Tommy's, the University, and Salt Lake City. Then at Tommy's I realized something. You were no longer just a job. At any point I could have just said screw humanity and stopped going since there was nothing left waiting for me in Boston. No payment, no friends, probably no home…but I chose to keep going with you. Not for the "greater good" but because I wanted to. You managed to get me out of my shell again, Kiddo. Not only to Tommy and Maria want you but I do, too. You're wanted so get used to it, you hear?"

Ellie was very touched by Joel's small speech to her and smiled after he stopped talking. He never once opened up to her like this and knew it was and would be a very rare occurrence. He wasn't the type of man who let all his feelings out and tell you straight up how he was feeling. In order to figure out what was on his mind you had to do a lot of interpreting. Interpret each move, tone of voice, and so on and what it could mean. Was he sad? Happy? Angry? Figuring out why he was sad or happy or angry was a whole other task.

Not knowing what to say exactly, Ellie simply said, "Thanks, Joel."

He stood up and went back to the stove. "Now go put your comic away. Breakfast is on."

 **OOOOO**

Tommy stopped by around noon and took Joel and Ellie to meet the construction crew that Sadie had told Joel about. There was a group of ten guys, all of them in their late thirties, early forties who worked in construction or construction-like jobs. There were two contractors, two electricians, two laborers, a plumber, a carpenter, and a mason. When the three arrived at the current job site, they were working on a new house on the west side of the town. They were pretty far along on the project, the floor already laid down and most of the walls already built. Tommy, Joel, and Ellie were lucky to catch them in their lunch break so Tommy introduced Joel to the crew.

"He'll be joining you boys pretty soon." Tommy told them. "He's a hell of a carpenter."

One of the men, Evan, hopped up from where he was sitting and approached Joel and Ellie. He stood at about five six and had a head full of brown graying hair. He wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt and jeans-pretty basic-and a vibrant pair of green eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Joel." he said as he held out a hand. Joel shook it. "Pleasure's all mine."

Evan's eyes landed on Ellie. "This your little girl?" he asked Joel.

Ellie and Joel exchanged a look. "Uh it's a "he promised someone he'd look after me" sort of thing." Ellie told Evan, remembering that's what she told Henry back in Pittsburg.

"I can respect that." Evan said before looking back at Joel. "Look forward to working with you, man. Very nice meeting you both."

"You too." Joel replied before Evan went back to his lunch and chatting with his coworkers.

After meeting the construction crew, Tommy walked with his brother and Ellie back to their house just talking. Joel asked Tommy what he had been up to since his visit in the fall.

"Not much. Still have an issue with bandits every now and then that we deal with, haven't had too much of an issue with any infected lately, and we'll have another turbine up and running in a few weeks hence the reason Maria and I weren't here when you arrived."

As Tommy talked, Ellie looked around at the nearby houses and saw two girls around her age sitting on a porch playing a card game. One of them was blonde with what looked like pink in her bangs while the other girl had regular brunette hair. Ellie couldn't tell what game they were playing but it was clear that the girl with the pink in her hair won that hand based on the brunette's reaction. Ellie smiled a little when she saw the two girls playing the game because she was happy to be in a place where you could sit and play a game of cards on your porch.

When Tommy, Joel, and Ellie arrived back at Joel and Ellie's place, Tommy asked to speak to Joel privately. "Sure thing." Joel told his brother. "Ellie why don't you go inside and get ready to work on some of the crops, yeah?"

"Okay." Ellie said before going inside, curious of what the brothers would talk about. Part of her wanted to just to what Joel asked of her, but the other part of her remembered what happened the last time Joel and Tommy spoke privately. When she got inside she walked into the living room, but then quietly went back to the door only to hear them walking off the porch. "Damn." she said to herself before heading towards the stairs.

Outside Joel and Tommy stepped off the porch and walked around to the side of the house. "So what happened out there?" Tommy asked his brother. "At the university with the Fireflies?"

Joel took a breath. He knew he'd eventually be asked this question by Tommy and hasn't prepared an answer, but couldn't tell his brother the truth. He was a Firefly, knew Marlene, and spent a long enough time to have a connection with those people. Once again, he couldn't be honest with someone close to him about what happened in Salt Lake City.

"We found the Fireflies." Joel told Tommy as he formed a lie in his head. "As it turned out the Fireflies had discovered other people who were immune and they were still in the dark about how to develop some sort of cure. They ran some tests on Ellie and got the same kind of information and results as they did with the other cases. When they saw that they just let us leave."

"And how did Ellie feel about that?"

Joel shrugged. "Upset. She was out of it for all the tests, though. The Fireflies found us more than we found them. She and I were making our way through a tunnel filled with water and rapids and we fell in. Ellie drowned, but they brought her back. Anyway the tests were pretty standard is how they put it. Head scans, blood tests…it didn't take them all that long. It didn't take more than an hour or two for all the results to come through and when they did, they told me I was free to leave Ellie in their care or take her with me."

"And you chose to take her with you?" Tommy asked. "Didn't seem to want her around a few months ago."

"A lot can happen in a few months." Joel told his brother as he leaned against the side of the house. "That little girl…I couldn't just leave her after everything we went through."

Tommy nodded twice. He believed his brother, he wanted to at the very least. There was a part of him that knew his brother was withholding the full story, but didn't dare push him. He finally had his brother back after all this time so for now, he let it go. "Good to see you've found something again in the world. I am gonna head back home, check on Maria. We'll see you for dinner."

"See you then Tommy."

 **OOOOO**

Ellie and Joel spent the rest of the day tending to the crops in their front and backyard. They were growing an assortment of vegetables: Carrots, asparagus, snap peas, and onions. Joel showed Ellie how much water each plant needed and gave her the basic directions of how they'd eventually harvest them. "It'll be a little more than a month since the asparagus has already been harvested once. Otherwise we'd be waiting three years to harvest the damn things." Joel explained to her.

"Why so long?" Ellie asked.

"Well the first year you plan the crowns, then in the second year you are supposed to cut the stems as you see fit, and finally in the third year is when the real cutting begins."

That's how the rest of the afternoon went. Joel teaching Ellie the fundamentals of growing vegetables. She had an endless stream of questions that Joel had answers to. They were outside until around four thirty when Joel told Ellie it was time to go in and start cleaning up for dinner at Tommy and Maria's. By the time the both of them were showered and in clean clothes, it was going on five thirty. The two of them wore their usual attire, pairs of jeans and Joel in a button up shirt and Ellie in a green long sleeved shirt.

Dinner at Tommy and Maria's was very relaxed. Maria made mixed vegetables, sweet potatoes, and venison for dinner that had Ellie's mouth watering when she walked in the front door from just the aroma. Ellie helped Maria finish dinner while Joel and Tommy set the table in the other room. "So I remember how you lit up around the horses back in the fall." Maria began to say as she stirred around the vegetables in the pan on the stove as Ellie seasoned the potatoes. "I thought you'd like to help me out in the stables."

Ellie looked at Maria with a surprised look. "Really?"

Maria laughed when she saw Ellie's expression. "Yeah. I'll teach you how to clean em', feed em', give you some riding lessons."

"That sounds great."

"So you're in?"

"Hell yeah I am!"

In the other room, it was Tommy's turn to laugh as he set out the plates. "That reminds me what happened to Aztec?" he asked his brother.

Joel looked up. "Aztec?"

"The horse you took in the fall?"

Joel let out a chuckle. "So that was his name."

"Reckon forgot to tell ya'. What did you call him?"

"Ellie named him Callous."

Tommy let out another laugh. Joel smiled as he finished setting out the silverware. He hated that name. Never knew an animal named Callous until that horse. "So what happened to him?" Tommy asked.

Joel looked up at Tommy. He knew the truth of how the horse met his end by a bullet fired by a cannibal wouldn't make a difference to anything, but he didn't want to bring that memory up with Ellie around. That whole encounter with David left her scarred and the last thing Joel wanted was to spoil the evening.

"Infected." Joel told his brother. "Bunch of them. Scared the horse off and didn't see him again."

"Damn shame. He was a good horse."

After that, Maria and Ellie came in bearing dishes of food that smelled great. The four of them sat at the table and passed the food around as conversation filled the air. Tommy and Joel talked construction for a little while before Maria talked horses and livestock with Ellie who was very interested in the farm life in town. "I'll introduce you to Buddy. He's the one who is in charge of all things animals around here. He lives on the edge of town to have space for the cows."

"Sounds good." Ellie replied with a smile before looking at Joel. He glanced at her and smiled when he saw her smiling. After that the four of them dug into their food as the conversation continued.

Dinner lasted a while and after cleaning up, the four sat in the living room to play cards. Ellie, who has never played poker in her whole life, was getting taught by Joel. She got the hang of it pretty quickly and actually won several hands.

When the clock struck almost ten, Joel thought it would be a good time for him and Ellie to return home. "It was a fun night." Tommy said as he walked his brother and Ellie out. "We should do it again."

"Sounds like a plan." Joel replied. "Thanks Tommy. For everything."

Tommy gave him a nod and smiled. "Thanks for coming back. Really missed you, brother."

Joel smiled. He missed his brother, too. A lot. He finally would have a chance to make up all the years they lost after Tommy left him to join the Fireflies. It was a fresh start for the both of them.

Joel and Ellie walked back home in silence, both of them thinking of the evening. Ellie was on top of the world at the thought of getting to work in the stables with Maria while Joel thought of his upcoming work in construction. They were both excited to start working and settling into their jobs now that they were settled in at home. It was a short walk home and as they walked up the steps to their porch, they stopped at the same time and looked at one another when they heard a very familiar sound off in the distance. The sound of a clicker echoing through the woods.


	4. Back to Work

AN: So several of you are itching for an Ellie x Badass OC and I will do my best to deliver. It may not necessarily be a romantic pairing though, it may end up just being a best friend kind of relationship. I haven't decided yet. I also wanted to thank all of you for the reviews, your kind words mean so much to me. I have actually sort of put my other two stories on hold kind of because I am so absorbed in this one! I'll get around to them again soon. Sometime. Eventually. Anyway here's the next chapter!

 **OOOOO**

 **FOUR DAYS LATER**

"Ellie on the double!" Joel called upstairs from the kitchen as he put Ellie's lunch-a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and two oatmeal cookies- in a paper bag. She had to be at the stables at eight thirty and it was already eight fifteen. She has been working at the stables with Maria the past couple of days while Joel worked on the construction crew. The first day of work was weird for the both of them because they weren't around one another at all after they went to their separate jobs. Joel promised to walk Ellie to the stables the first day, but after Maria promised she'd keep an eye on her for the day that was the last Joel saw of her until the following evening. Joel could see Ellie was a bit nervous when he told her he'd see her later and began to leave to join the construction crew. The entire first day when Joel was measuring and cutting wood and putting up the last wall to a house, he was wondering what Ellie was up to. He wondered if she was getting along alright and if there were other kids at the stables working with her which he found out later there were.

There were two girls, Mary and Katelyn. The girls were sisters, both younger than Ellie. Mary was only a year younger whereas Katelyn was two. Mary was an inch or two shorter than Ellie with short black hair and dark green eyes and Katelyn was smaller than her sister since she was so young. Katelyn had eyes like Mary, but her hair was a light brown instead. The sisters could have been twins if not for their hair, height, and the one year age difference. From what Ellie learned is that they were born and raised in the Phoenix quarantine zone before their parents took them and left for South Dakota when the zone began to crumble. Rations were getting lower and lower, people were becoming violent…a life outside the walls were starting to look safer. They were on the road for about two or three month. By then Mary and Katelyn were nine and ten and rather than reaching their intended destination of the Mount Rushmore state the girls and their parents landed in the settlement. Now they've been residents for three years. The sisters never mentioned why they were heading to South Dakota of all places, but she didn't ask.

"They're really nice." Ellie had told Joel. "But they're really happy. Like _really_ happy. It's kind of annoying."

The comment made Joel role his eyes, but understood where she was coming from. Ellie grew up in Boston. It was a tough zone with tough people. Some zones weren't nearly as bad as others. By the sounds of it Phoenix must have been pretty decent until its end.

Joel gave Ellie credit though. Even though Mary and Katelyn weren't the exact type of company Ellie desired, she was putting forth an effort to make friends with locals. He wanted Ellie to have somewhat of normal life. The best he could offer her at least and that's what this settlement could do. Give her a life. A life with good people and less infected.

"Ellie you have less than fifteen minutes to eat breakfast and get to the stables!" Joel called up to her as he poured her a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerio's.

"Coming!" Ellie yelled back as footsteps down the steps followed. She came rushing into the kitchen with her flannel misbuttoned and her t-shirt underneath tucked in the front of her jeans. She hopped up onto her seat at the counter as Joel slid her the bowl of cereal which she ate as fast as she could. "Slow down kiddo or you'll choke." Joel told her as he slid her lunch bag.

"You just said I have less than fifteen minutes." Ellie pointed out after she finished chewing.

"Meaning you're going to have to haul ass to the stables. Not choke on your cereal."

Ellie rolled her eyes, but did in fact slow down eating her cereal. As she ate, Joel sat on the couch and pulled on his boots. He tied the laces nice and snug so they wouldn't come undone. The last thing anyone wanted was to trip on a construction site. A screw imbedded in someone's flesh is never fun. Especially now that tetanus shots weren't a luxury anymore.

Once his shoes were snug and tied, he tucked his shirt into his jeans and heard Ellie rinse her bowl out in the sink. He walked back into the kitchen just as she grabbed her lunch and was about to take off, but Joel stopped her. "Come here. Lemme fix your shirt." Ellie raised an eyebrow, but abided and walked over to Joel who fixed her bunched up t-shirt and the misbuttoned buttons on her flannel. "Alright you're good to go. Say hey to Maria for me." He told her as he walked over to get his lunch out of the fridge.

"Will do." Ellie said as she turned and headed towards the door.

"Oh Kiddo wait a sec!" Joel said as he rushed around the counter. Ellie stopped and turned to look at him. "I am going to pick up this week's rations at the town hall after work so I may be a little late getting home later. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah sure no problem. Gotta go."

Then just like that, Ellie was off to the stables and Joel left for work a few minutes later after locking up their house. Their _home_.

` **OOOOO**

 **LATER THAT DAY**

Ellie sat outside on a log to eat her lunch at the stables that day while Mary and Katelyn ate a few yards away talking and laughing about who knows what. They invited Ellie, but she politely declined. Ellie appreciated the warm air and clear skies. It was almost summertime-only a few more weeks away. She used to hate the summer because the city of Boston got way too hot with too much humidity. And the fact that it was a city made it worse. She could tell she'd enjoy summer surrounded by nature. The breeze, the fresh air, the sounds of animals and insects going about their days...it was just so beautiful. There was no comparison between this and the city.

The stables were just one large barn where the horses stayed with a large fenced in yard next to it where they had room to move around. Since it was on the south side of town- where not a lot of houses crowded so there was room for extra crops and livestock-there was a lot of open space. Maria mentioned they were going to expand the fence for the horses once they have a couple more houses built. It was only a five minute walk from her and Joel's house to the stables which was convenient when she oversleeps in the morning after staying up late to read. There were a few books in Ellie's desk and it was a change from her usual Savage Starlight binges. The one she was reading was called "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It was a book about the end of the world (how appropriate) but as she got farther in the book she really liked how the setting was never mentioned and the two main characters, a father and son, weren't given names. It also reminded Ellie of her and Joel's trek across the country. Although their journey holds one of her darkest memories, it did bring her to Joel.

As she chewed her sandwich and watched some of the horses graze on some grass, she heard some movement on the other side of the fence a few meters away in the trees. Some twigs snapped and she could have sworn she saw some leaves rustle, causing her to set her food down and reach for her switch blade. Electric fence or not, she wasn't about to lose her survival instincts. Slowly, Ellie stood up and approached the fence as quietly as she could. She looked through the branches and leaves for infected, but didn't hear any clicking or growls. Could it be a person?

"Someone there?" she asked quietly as she approached the fence, mindful of the electric currents that ran through it.

It became extremely quiet again on the other side of the fence and then in a split second hurried footsteps took off in the opposite direction. "Hey!" Ellie called out, but the footsteps soon faded out until the air was quiet once again.

"Ellie?" Mary's voice sounded as she and Katelyn approached, causing Ellie to turn. "What're you doing?"

Ellie looked back at the tree line on the other side of the fence. "Thought I heard something."

"What was it?" Katelyn asked.

"Not sure…"

"Probably just an animal or something. Not a lot infected people around these parts." Mary told Ellie as she moved next to her. "We haven't had an incident in town for over a month."

"What about bandits?" Ellie pressed as she put her blade away.

Neither of the sisters commented for a moment before Mary suggested finishing lunch and getting back to the horses.

The sisters walked back to their spot, but Ellie remained in front of the fence for a moment before returning to her lunch.

For the remaining time she ate her lunch, Ellie kept an eye on the woods. She didn't think it was infected when she didn't hear clicks or whines and her hypothesis was only proven correct when whatever it was took off the other direction at the sound of her voice. It could have just been an animal she startled, but something in her gut convinced her it wasn't. And most of the time her gut feelings were right. As much as Ellie wanted to investigate, she knew the only way out of the settlement was through the doors at three different entrances/exits that had constant patrols keeping an eye out for bandits and infected. She also knew going out there alone would be stupid. The last time she decided to wander off somewhere she wasn't supposed to be she got bit. For the time being, Ellie just tried to ignore it and focus on the horses.

 **OOOOO**

On the North side of the settlement, Joel was putting in a window with Evan-the man he met when Tommy introduced Joel to the crew. "Where in the hell did you guys find windows?" Joel asked as they finished up the install. It has taken them about an hour and they were finally installing the inside stops. "One thing people weren't breaking doors down for when the world ended we windows." Evan told him. "Once we had a truck big enough to carry the things we needed for jobs like these we went through every Lowe's and Home Depot we could find for weeks."

A few minutes later, they had the window installed and the two men stepped back to check out their work. "Looks good." Evan commented as he placed his hands on his hips where his tool belt was strapped. "Now let's see if she works." He stepped forward and put his hands on the window to lift it up. Joel smiled when the window opened and closed with no trouble at all.

"Well that'll do." Joel said. "Let's go see what else they have for us."

Evan and Joel walked out of the room they were in-which would be a living room- as the guys on the roof kept working. Outside the house there were blueprints on tables, tool boxes, a water cooler with cups on a table, and a big white trailer where all the tools and things like that were stored under lock and key when not in use. The construction site was luckily out of the way of other houses since they were trying to expand a bit. Tommy and some other guys had already expanded the fence about fifty yards to put together another two or three houses.

Just as Evan and Joel walked outside, Tommy walked up with Maria and Sadie. Joel slowed down at the sight of Sadie. He hasn't seen her since the day she took off to deal with some guy named Zach. She said she'd get back to him, but never did causing him to wonder what happened. I guess he'd finally get an answer.

Sadie smiled a warm smile at Joel when she saw him. She was in jeans and red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her brown hair was tied into a messy bun and she looked tired-her eyes had bags under them and she looked a little pale. Before the three could approach Joel, Tommy and Maria were confronted by Jake who was in charge of the construction crew. He was as tall as Joel and balding. He was the oldest out of everyone at fifty-two, but kept working no matter nevertheless. "I said I'd never retire before and I ain't about to retire now." he told Joel one day while the crew was on break for lunch.

Jake led Tommy and Maria over to the one table where the updated blueprints Joel helped Jake draw up were, so Sadie quietly stepped away to walk over to Joel. "Hey." she greeted as she stopped in front of him. "I am so sorry I never got back to you. I just had my hands full with something."

"It's no problem." Joel told her as Evan left to allow the two to talk. "Mind me asking what happened?"

Sadie looked around them for a moment. "Think you could step away for a couple of minutes and take a walk so I can talk?"

Joel looked at the site and took into account all the four guys on the roof and six other ones working on the ground were taking a water break. "Only a couple of minutes."

Sadie smiled and jerked her head to the side so he'd follow. He did and they walked to the side of the job site and around as Sadie explained. "I don't know if you've heard anything." she began. "About Zachary."

"I haven't really."

"That's surprising. The job sites like this one are like the water cooler in an office building."

Joel chuckled as he and Sadie continued walking around the job site, Sadie continuing. "Anyway Zach is my responsibility. When the settlement was first getting started we had groups going out on runs all the time and one day they brought back this seven year old boy who watched his parents get ripped to pieces by clickers. I offered to take care of him and now that boy is almost seventeen.

When kids here get to be around seventeen and eighteen, we try to get them a bit more exposed to the world so if anything ever happens, they know what to expect and not lost in the dark out there. Zach was bugging me for weeks about going out and I finally caved. It was a simple run. They were only going a couples miles east to an old wildlife park that was pretty clear of infected or so we thought. We lost three men and for a few days I thought I'd lost Zach until he showed up at the gates. He said he got swarmed, ran, and lost his way. It was a little over two months ago and he hasn't been the same ever since. He's distant, always disappearing, and getting into arguments with people, even me which never used to happen. This time he got into fight with another boy and wound up with a pretty busted up face. This was my last straw and we got into a huge argument about everything. It's just been rough and the past few days have just been..."

"You don't have to explain it to me, I understand." Joel told her. "I'm sorry about all that. Sounds like you've got your hands full."

Sadie let out a quiet laugh. "That's putting it lightly." she told him. "I think it's about something that happened on that run and he just won't talk to me. Today's the first day he's back to work."

The two stopped walking. "I don't know much about sixteen year olds in the apocalypse, but if you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Sadie smiled. "Thanks Joel. That means a lot, it does. Tommy tried talking to him and he just stormed out so I don't know how effective it'd be."

"Well whether I'm effective or not, I'm happy to help."

"Well I guess I'll let you get back to work. I gotta go fix a car's engine myself. See ya around."

Sadie turned to leave, but Joel stopped her. "Ellie and I drove here in a car." he told her. "Uh well not _precisely_ here, but close enough-just a few minutes through the woods. It broke down and we were out of road anyway so maybe you'd want to take a look?"

"Sure thing. Think the boss would be alright if you took off early tomorrow so you could show me where?"

"I'll ask but I can't promise you anything."

"Just let me know. See ya!"

After that Sadie left and Joel got back to work. He felt bad for her. By the sounds of it she was raising Zach by herself and now he was getting into one of those typical teenage phases. Ellie seemed to still be pretty faithful to the girl she was when they first met. She still loved comics and whistling and learning about things from the old world. Despite her dark encounters, she seemed to still be herself. For that, Joel was grateful.

After his talk with Sadie, Joel talked to his brother and Maria briefly about the blue prints before just getting into some small talk. Tommy asked if he got around to the guitar yet and Joel shook his head. "Not quite yet little brother."

"You used to play all the time. Better hear it again soon."

Joel just rolled his eyes. After that Tommy and Maria headed out and Joel finished out his day. The house was almost done- the roof and the flooring the only thing still needed to be finished. After work Joel headed to the town hall to pick up him and Ellie's weekly rations. Unfortunately there were a lot of people already there so he had a bit of a wait before finally getting his box of food. On his way out the door, Joel bumped into some guy who must have been having a bad day due to his response.

"Watch where you're going!" the man spat. Joel glared at the man for a moment. He wasn't much taller than Joel and looked a few years younger with his dark red hair only beginning to gray. If it was Boston, Joel would most likely snap back at the guy which would result in a fight but he wasn't in Boston anymore. _Make this work, Joel_ he told himself. _Don't slip into old habits_.

"Sorry." was all Joel said as he left the building and headed back to him and Ellie's house. It was already dark out and Joel was exhausted after the long work day. The door was locked and Joel unlocked it and went inside quietly, just in case Ellie was asleep which was a possibility since she was normally tired after working in the stables all day.

Joel walked into the living room where he heard a movie playing and found Ellie asleep on the couch with an almost empty plate on the table and a lamp on. She warmed up some left over chicken they had last night for dinner. The Italian Job was playing in the TV and Joel bent down to get the remote and switched off the TV. He carried the ration box into the kitchen and set it on the kitchen counter before walking back into the living room. He was about to wake up Ellie, but then didn't. She was definitely tired since she was out before ten. The scene was just so familiar to the night he lost Sarah. Before Joel got home that awful night she was watching TV and fell asleep and then when he got home they watched some bad SyFy movie after she gave him his watch until she fell asleep again and he carried her to bed.

After an internal debate, Joel bent down and picked Ellie up carefully to carry her to bed. Once he had her in his arms he took a breath at the familiarity and the proceeded to the stairs. He was careful not to wake her as he went up the stairs. He opened her door with his foot gently and then set her down on her bed, pulling the unmade covers over her sleeping form. He looked at her for a few moments before allowing a small smile to form on his face. "Night Ellie." he whispered before leaving the room quietly.

Back in her room, under the covers of her bed, Ellie smiled to herself.

 **OOOOO**

A/N:

I am so sorry for the long wait. I was on vacation, then my cat died, then I got a little sick, in fact I still don't feel all that great, but I needed to update because I am loving writing this one and feel bad for the almost month long wait. Just so you guys know my updating may be a bit iffy since I have some summer school work to finish, but once I get it done and start school again, I am going to do my best to update at least once a week or something around that since writing this does sort of give me a break from the real world for a few hours. Anyway sorry again for the wait and hope you liked this chapter.


	5. Time For A Drive

The following day, Joel got the okay from Jake to take off from the job early to show Sadie the car he and Ellie left on the road last week. He worked from eight until one at the job site before leaving to go back to him and Ellie's house. He wanted to grab a few things before heading over to Sadie's. Up in his room, he grabbed his backpack and put in a few clips, his gas mask, a couple of shivs, a small first aid kit, and some tape and rags. He tucked his pistol in the back of his pants and was about to leave for Sadie's when he noticed the laundry basket sitting by his closet. He's been meaning to take his and Ellie's clothes washed. Tommy mentioned that since the settlement was so large one group couldn't go out and do all the laundry and because they didn't have washing machines families could either find a way to wash clothes at home or take them to a nearby creek half a mile from the settlement. That way if the residents needed to get out of the confines of the settlement for a bit they could. Joel thought that taking the clothes to the creek would be a better idea so Ellie could still get outside. He remembered her numerous reactions to the world after they left the Boston quarantine zone. The way she was amazed by the collapsed buildings on the other side of the walls, her first walk in the woods right outside Bill's town…he knew how much she liked to really be outside and didn't want to take that away from her.

Figuring he might as well get it together now while he was home, he set his bag down and grabbed his basket before going into Ellie's room which was beginning to look like a stereotypical teenage room. Her bed was unmade and one of her pillows found its way to the floor. Several pieces of her laundry of course wasn't in the basket but scattered in various places in her room. Joel simply rolled his eyes and let out a sigh before going around and collecting the stray clothing. A t-shirt on her bed, pajamas on the floor, sweatshirt hanging on her door, and a pair of jeans on her desk chair. As he took the jeans off the chair, Joel bumped the desk and knocked over a thing of pencils on her desk. "Oh shit." he said as he dropped the laundry basket and scurried to collect the pencils before they rolled off the desk.

As he picked up the pencils, something caught Joel's eye. Buried underneath a couple of comic books was a small desk calendar with tomorrow's date circled in red with the number fifteen written in the small box. Joel picked it up and looked at for a moment trying to figure out what was special about May fourteenth. That's when his mind flashed back to the first day he met Ellie.

" _What's the deal with you and Marlene anyways?"_

" _I don't know, she's my friend I guess."_

" _Your friend, huh? Your friends with the leader of the Fireflies? What're you, like twelve?"_

" _She knew my mom and she's been looking after me. And I'm fourteen, not that has anything to do with anything."_

Joel set the calendar and let out another breath when he realized tomorrow was Ellie's fifteenth birthday.

 **OOOOO**

Joel thought he'd have trouble finding Sadie's place until he found a small but tall two story building with what looked like a mechanics garage underneath the living unit. The garage was open and inside of it was an old red pickup truck with the hood up. There was a large counter on the right side with a few oily rags and cans of engine cleaner on top with a swivel stool in front of it. Above the counter were cabinets and in the back were two large tool boxes and two lockers spray painted crimson red. Finally there was a plastic board on the ground with four wheels on it that Joel knew was mechanics used to lay on while working underneath the car. Next to the garage was a set of stairs that led up to what Joel could assume was where Sadie lived. At the top of the stairs there was a small deck and a door. Joel knocked and a few moments later the door opened, revealing a kid of average height with a healing black eye and short, but shaggy dirty blonde hair. He was in worn out dark blue jeans and an army green t-shirt that was tucked into the front of his jeans. Joel guessed that it was Zachary.

"Who are you?" Zachary asked, eyeing Joel.

"Zach don't be rude." Sadie's voice sounded causing Zachary to turn around. Sadie appeared behind Zach and smiled at Joel. "Hey Joel come on in. Zach get over to the infirmary. Devon and Mayella are expecting you. I'll be home for dinner."

Zach pushed past Joel and headed down the steps without another word or glance. "Sorry." Sadie apologized as she stepped to the side to allow Joel in. "He woke up with an attitude."

Joel stepped inside and Sadie shut the door. He looked around the place and was surprised at how unique it was. He's only seen regular houses since he and Ellie arrived, but Sadie had an almost apartment like home. Right inside the door was a living room with a couch and small chair facing a television with a coffee table in-between the couch and television. The kitchen was next with the counter and a doorway separating the rooms. Past the kitchen was a small hallway where Joel guessed the bedrooms and bathrooms were. It was small, but looked comfortable.

"You have a nice home." Joel complimented as Sadie grabbed a green backpack with brown straps off the couch. She was in jeans and a navy tank top with a brown button up over top with the buttons left unbuttoned.

"Thanks." she replied with a smile. "Once we had a few houses up and the infirmary I asked Tommy for the garage. Then I figure why not live where I work and had this and the deck added."

"Very cool."

"So since you're here I figure we're going to take a look at that car. Wanna tell me about it?"

Joel nodded and leaned against the wall. "Hm." he said. "Well the engine stopped and when I tried starting again it made a clicking kind of noise."

Sadie put her backpack on. "Sounds like your classic case of dead battery. Simple fix. Just have to get a couple of things from the garage."

Joel and Sadie headed down to the garage where she pulled out a jump starter. She set it on the counter and then opened the one took box and pulled out a revolver. She checked the ammo in it and then grabbed a few rounds out of the same drawer. "Alright that's it." Sadie told him as she tucked the ammo in her pocket. Once she locked up the garage, she and Joel headed for the front gate.

 **OOOOO**

Within fifteen minutes, Joel and Sadie were out of the settlement and on the way to the road Joel and Ellie broke down on last week. There weren't any issues at the front gate and getting out, making Joel once again feel relieved at how unlike the settlement was compared to the quarantine zones. People could come and go, leave when they wanted to…it wasn't a prison here which is what the zones felt like sometimes.

"So how long were you a mechanic before the world ended?" Joel asked as he and Sadie entered the woods. It felt good to be in the woods again. The green leaves and trees, sounds of birds and insects, breeze blowing and rustling plants of all kinds.

"I wasn't a mechanic pre-apocalypse actually." Sadie replied as she walked, careful to avoid tripping and damaging the jump starter.

"You weren't?"

"Nope. I owned my mother's café and had a degrees in business and finance."

"Then how'd you learn so much about cars?"

"My dad was a mechanic and owned a garage. I spent the school years in the café and summers in the garage. I took over my mom's café and my brother took over the mechanics garage so our parents could retire early."

The two began climbing up a hill, both of them careful not to fall. Joel took it one step at a time and got to the top before Sadie, offering a hand. She took it and he pulled her a bit. "Want me to carry that?" Joel asked her, looking at the jump starter.  
"No I got it, thanks though."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

"Well alright than."

Joel and Sadie continued walking through the woods, the path to the road fresh in Joel's mind as he just walked it last week. They reached the top where Ellie opened up to him about her friend Riley and her survivor's guilt. He felt bad for lying straight to her face, but shoved the guilt out of his mind. He knew what he did was wrong. What he did in Salt Lake City, lying to Ellie and his family about what happened…but he couldn't lose another person he cared about. He knew Ellie wasn't his daughter, he _knew_ that. No one could _ever_ replace Sarah or even compare to here, but if he lost Ellie… Joel would feel that hole in his chest again. That empty hole that made him feel like a walking corpse for twenty years that was revived when Ellie entered his life.

After climbing down from the hilltop, it was straight shot past the stream and through some trees until they hit the road where the car still sat. "It's in good shape on the outside." Sadie commented as they walked over to it. "Where'd you find it?"

"Fireflies let us take it." Joel lied yet again. "When we left the city."

"Doesn't surprise me. Marlene was always nice like that."

Joel looked at the ground as Sadie popped the hood and took a look. "Mind turning the key?" Sadie asked.

"Sure thing."

Joel opened the driver side door and turned the key-which was still in the ignition- causing the clicking noise to start he described. "Like I said, dead battery." Sadie said. "I'll hook up the cables and give it a jump. Then we can drive it back."

Sadie did what she said she would do and attached the cables to the battery and turned on the jump starter. "Alright give it a turn!" Sadie told Joel who turned the key and after a few grunts and sounds, the engine started. Smiling, Sadie unhooked the cables and shut the hood. "How's it on gas?" she asked.

Joel looked at the gas light and saw they had a little less than half a tank. "We're good." he told her as she packed up the jump starter and carried it to put in the back seat before getting in the passenger seat. "Alright." she said as she and Joel closed their doors. "Now we have eleven working cars. Let's get it back home. We'll have to take the backway from here. There's an off-road path a few miles down the road. That's the quickest way back."

"Yes ma'am." Joel replied as put the car in reverse.

"Ma'am? Psh you make me sound like I'm some old lady who works in a school."

Joel chuckled and backed the car up into the tree line, careful not to hit anything, and turned the car around.

As they drove down the road, Joel took a glance at Sadie and he was reminded of Tess. Even though this wasn't a smuggling job or like any other kind of job the two of them did, he was reminded of Tess in this simple mission to jump start a car. He missed Tess a lot and even though he's moved on from her death, there were still times he wished she was still with him. Her smart mouth, tough exterior, and love of Scotch was irreplaceable. He smirked at the memories he had with her, but the smile faded when he was reminded that she was gone forever. He occasionally had nightmares of her dead body just being left lying there in the Capitol Building until the end of time. The image of her dead body surrounded by a pool of her blood haunted his mind for several weeks after her death and it occasionally still does, but not so much. He found comfort in the fact that he was able to fulfill the last favor she asked of him which was getting Ellie to Tommy and then the Fireflies.

Wanting to get his mind off of Tess, Joel remembered Ellie's birthday was tomorrow and wanted to do something for her. Even if it was just a little something. "Hey Sadie." Joel said as he drove.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"It's Ellie's birthday tomorrow and I want to do something for her. Nothing big, but just a way to let her know I…care."

Sadie smiled. "Well what does she like?"

Joel chuckled. "Bad puns, comics, music, arcade games, books, exotic animals…"

"Exotic animals?" Sadie questioned with a laugh.

"Yeah. We saw some monkeys back at the University and some giraffes in Salt Lake City. She was fascinated by the things."

"Sure she was. I think I may be able to help you out with this. Turn up at that sign."

Joel looked ahead and saw it was no more than a speed limit sign. He turned and it took him and Sadie onto a road now covered in patches of moss and grass. They drove for a couple of minutes before Sadie told him to turn right and then left several yards later. After driving for about twenty minutes, they pulled up to what looked like an old bookstore that was next to a convenient store.

Joel turned the car off and he and Sadie got out. "What's this place?" Joel asked as he walked around to Sadie's side.

"Since Jackson isn't all that far from us, there's places like this all over between the settlement and the city. There's probable still a few places we haven't even stumbled across yet. Anyway the bookstore is still pretty stocked with books and old records since you know…people aren't shooting each other over copies of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Maya Angelou."

Joel and Sadie went inside and once they knew they were alone, looked around the store separately. It wasn't huge like the one back in Pittsburg was, but shelves full of books still lined the walls and there were vinyl's in organized containers in the center of the store. The checkout counter sat in front of a display for newspapers and magazines. Joel knew how into the Savage Starlight comics so he checked out the science fiction section. After scanning the shelves for a few minutes, he picked up _Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons and _Starship Troopers_ by Robert A. Heinlein.

Once he stored the books away in his bag, he took one more look at the shelves before going over to where Sadie stood. She was standing by the children's books looking at the titles that filled the shelves. Joel noticed she was looking at the classic bedtime story _Goodnight Moon_. "Think Zach is a little old for them." Joel commented, causing Sadie to turn and look at him. She simply let out a breath and said, "Yeah."

"Find something?" she asked Joel as she walked away from the bookshelves and over to where the store had a selection of books on cassettes. "Yeah I found her a couple of science fiction books." Joel told her as he looked at what she was looking at. She picked up a cassette and looked at it which made Joel think of Ellie's Walkman. He remembered her listening to it a few times in the early days of their journey before she fell and crushed it in her backpack. It was still in one piece, but didn't work right. Maybe he could fix it for her.

"Ready to go?" Sadie asked as she tossed the cassette in her hand back into the bin she got it from.

"Yeah." Joel told her. "Thanks for bringing me here."

Sadie gave him a small smile. "No problem. I think it's sweet that you want to-"

She stopped midsentence and at first Joel wondered why until he heard what she must have heard.

Voices. Voices that were getting closer.

Sadie grabbed Joel's arm and pulled him behind the counter that was a few feet away from them. They crouched down together and listened as the gruff voices of several people and sounds of footsteps grew closer to the store.

"This ain't one of ours." a deep, scratchy voice said referring to the car parked out front.

"Well than whose it?" another voice asked, this one sounding feminine.

"Maybe it's someone's from that dam a few miles from here. Or that settlement we've been scouting."

The voices went quiet for a moment as their footsteps filled and the car door opening filled the empty air. "Well whoever was here has to still be around." the male voice said. "There's a god damn jump starter in here. I don't think someone would just leave that behind."

"Let's have a look around for anything we can use here." another male voice said. "Toby, Charlene check out the convenient store. Mickey and I will check the bookstore."

Joel and Sadie looked at one another for a moment. None of this was going to be new to Joel, but he wondered when the last time Sadie was out and about and dealing with bandits. He remembered her mentioning that bandits had been a problem around these parts, but didn't know if she dealt with them directly. She's lasted in this world for over twenty years so he assumed she knew how to handle herself pretty well. When she broke off their eye contact and picked up the wooden plank that was on the floor next to them reassured him that she could handle this. The two listened as the two bandits entered the store and looked around. Joel grabbed a stray bottle from the counter and peeked over the top to see one bandit with his back to him and Sadie as he looked through the vinyl records and the other looking at some of the books on the shelf. They looked like your typical bandits- old clothing, dirty skin, worn gloves on their hands. Joel crouched back down and motioned to Sadie that he was going to throw the bottle to distract them. Sadie nodded in understanding and Joel got to it before they lost the opportunity.

He lined up his throw like he's done countless times before and the bottle flew through the air and landed right outside the doorway like he hoped it would. Both men turned around with their guns drawn. "I'll check it out." the man who was looking at the bookshelf said as he approached the doorway and exit the store while the other bandit went back to flipping through records. Sadie and Joel hopped over the counter and Joel silently pointed to her and then the bandit looking at records. She nodded and turned towards her target, raising the wooden plank as she approached. Joel silently headed for the exit and came up behind the second bandit, grabbing him from behind and wrapping his arm around his neck. He brought the bandit to the ground as he tried to get out of Joel's death grip. Within seconds the bandit was not only oxygen deprived but one quick jerking motion and Joel broke the bandit's neck. After doing this so many times, he's grown numb to the fact that he was ending a person's life. It was almost like a routine thing. It wasn't something he did every day, but when he did have to do it there was almost no remorse. When the world first ended and he was hit with the realization that he'd have to kill to survive, he wanted to throw up at first. Then after a few months in what the world became, he just stopped caring and would think that it was either the other person or him. He dropped the limp body to the ground and turned just in time to see Sadie whack the other bandit across the back of the head with a wooden plank, causing him to crumple to the floor. She dropped the plank and rushed out of the bookstore. "Okay let's get out of here." she said in a whisper as she approached the car.

"What about the others?" Joel questioned.

"What about them?" Sadie retorted as she turned to look at Joel. "Why risk taking them out when we can get out of here now?"

"They could come after us."

"Two of their own are already dead. There's going to be someone looking for the people responsible for that whether it's two dead or four _. Now let's go_!"

Not wanting to stand and argue anymore, Joel got into the driver's seat while Sadie got into the passenger seat. He pulled the key out of his pocket and stuck it in the ignition, turning it quickly and grateful to hear the engine roar to life. He put the car in drive and slammed on the gas, hightailing it away from the store. Both he and Sadie hear the shouts of the other two bandits as they drove off, but they ignored them as Sadie gave Joel directions for the fastest way back to the settlement.

Once they were what Joel deemed a safe enough distance away from the stores, Joel heard Sadie let out a breath of relief. "Gonna have to talk to your brother about this when we get back." she told him. "Not only are they this close to town, but they're scouting."

"How does Tommy normally handle these things?" Joel asked.

"Well the group is a bit too big to just go in and take all of them out, but he bandits have been a problem for too long around here. Turn left here."

Joel turned left as Sadie instructed. "Any idea where they are?"

"They used to be holed up in an old motel until some infected came through that area. Last time we sent a group out they saw them moving into the national park. That was a few weeks ago."

"How do you suppose Tommy will go about it then?"

'Guess we'll find out."

 **OOOOO**

Sadie and Joel got back to the town with no more problems. Sadie had Joel drive through the back gate so he could park it by her house so she could have a look at it. "Just in case there are any problems with anything." she told him before going over to the garage and opening it. Joel stood by the car and watched as Sadie grabbed a tarp and walked back out to the car.

"What's that for?' he asked.

"Just in case they do anymore scouting, we don't want them seeing the car." Sadie explained as she threw the tarp over the car, Joel helping pull it over the sides.

"They wouldn't know what the car looked like if we took out those other two." Joel pointed out, only half serious. He knew she was right about getting out of there while they could, but if they would have taken out the other two bandits, it would have been two less to deal with later.

"Can it, Lumberjack." Sadie said as she walked over to him to stand in front of him. Joel let out a laugh as he leaned crossed his arms and leaned against the car. "Lumberjack?" he questioned.

Sadie looked at the ground as she smiled and a tad of red filled her cheeks. She looked back at him and shrugged. "When I first saw you, you screamed lumberjack." she told him. "Bear, button up…all you needed was an axe."

The two shared a laugh and when Joel looked at her again, he saw a light in her eyes he didn't see before. Probably because he never really paid much attention to how she _really_ looked. Even though she was going through a tough time with Zach, she seemed like a genuine happy person. In all of his encounters with her, she wore a smile and was in a pleasant mood. Despite the day's events, she was still able to make jokes. He could appreciate about that her. In Boston, everyone was miserable and pissed off. With themselves, their lives, the world. They were just unpleasant. Being around people like Sadie was nice.

Before either of them could say anything more, a voice sounded. "There you are, Sadie!" The two of them turned and saw a woman with a glass dish approaching. She looked to be around Sadie's age, maybe a year or two younger. She had straight, dark hair with few gray hairs and wore a pair of blue skinny jeans and a long sleeved purple top. She was thin with a well-structured jaw and a pair of hazel eyes that became more noticeable when she got closer. Joel's first thought that she was very attractive.

"Hey Esther." Sadie said. "What can I do for you?"

Esther approached and held the glass dish out to Sadie. "Returning this. I stopped by earlier but you were out." she told Sadie who took the dish from her. "The pie was delicious thank you so much again."

"Don't mention it."

Esther than noticed Joel and turned towards him with a smile. "Why hello." she greeted as she outstretched a hand. "I don't believe we met."

Joel smiled in return and shook her hand. "I'm Joel." he introduced himself. "Tommy's brother. I caught your name was Esther?"

"You caught right. Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine."

Joel looked at her up and down for a split second and had a feeling she noticed. She gave him a smile and flipped some of her hair off her shoulder. "Well I gotta run." she said as she looked over at Sadie. "We're organizing another town dinner so I am going to go talk to Maria. Nice meeting you, Joel." Esther gave Joel another smile and then was off, her hips sway as she walked away. Joel glanced at her as she walked away for a moment before looking back at Sadie who was looking at his face with squinted eyes. "What?" he asked. She raised a hand to her chin. "You got some drool on your chin. Might want to get that." Joel dropped his arms and watched as Sadie went over to the garage. "Oh ha-ha." he called after her. She simply just turned around for a moment and made kissing noises at him. Joel just shook his head.

 **OOOOO**

 **A/N:**

Let me just say a huge thank you for all the positive feedback on this story. It means the world to me.

Sorry if the chapter ends sort of at a weird place. I didn't know how to end it so rather than stare at a wall for three hours lost in thought, I gave it my best shot. Also sorry if the "action" scene was weak. I was writing it and had a little trouble with it since all the action I've written before hasn't been like the kind in The Last of Us. I promise it will get better, but I just wrote it how the gameplay sort of is to save myself the headache. Hope it was good enough. Last thing, if you know about the One Night Live Performance with Troy and Ashley, you know about the epilogue Neil Drunkman used as a farewell to Joel and Ellie. Unless you were actually there to watch it, you have only read about what happened in the epilogue since there are no videos of it. Anyway, in the epilogue Joel does mention to Ellie a woman named Esther in case anyone made the connection. Okay that's all I wanted to say! Please review! :-)


	6. Defense

**A/N: This chapter takes place during the same day as the previous one. It's basically Ellie's day while Joel was out with Sadie.**

 **OOOOO**

Ellie leaned against the fence surrounding the horse's grazing yard watching Mary and Katelyn ride two of the horses. They had spent the morning and early afternoon cleaning the horse's stalls, washing the two horse's the sisters rode, and feeding them so Maria let the three girls take a break and have some fun for the rest of the afternoon. Mary was riding the light brown one who was one of the smaller horses and named Lucy while Katelyn rode the charcoal gray one named Ashes. The girls laughed as the horses trotted about. Ellie smiled at the sisters. Sometimes she wished she had a sibling to grow up with to make more life tolerable, but at the same time she liked being born an only child. Watching the horses also made Ellie think of Callus whom was originally named Aztec according to Joel. Regardless, he was Callus to Ellie. Losing Callus really sucked. He was the only company Ellie had in the weeks Joel was injured.

It felt really weird watching two young girls carelessly ride a couple of horses behind the safety of an electric fence while Joel was outside. He talked about it with her this morning, saying it was no big deal and that he should be back in a flash. Ellie told him she didn't like the idea of him going out there with her in the settlement. "It's just that it was almost a year of you and me out there." she told him. "And now you want me to stay here? It just doesn't feel right. What if something happens?" When Ellie said that, Joel stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention. "I know, Kiddo." he said. "But I ain't goin' far. And I promise I'll be back. I ain't leave you to fend for yourself in this place. I love my brother don't get me wrong, but he was always better at being an uncle than he'd ever be at being a father."

"That's mean." Ellie told Joel.

"Truth hurts."

"So you promise you'll be back?"

Joel gave her a half smile. "Cross my heart."

"Hey Ellie." a voice Ellie recognized as Maria sounded broke her from her thoughts. Ellie turned her head and saw Maria approach. She leaned on the fence next to Ellie and watched Mary and Katelyn. "How come you aren't riding? You love these horses more than anyone else around here."

"Just not in the mood I guess." Ellie replied as she looked back at the sisters riding.

"Something on your mind? You seem off today."

Ellie shrugged. What was on her mind was the fact that tomorrow would mark her fifteenth year of survival in this cruel world. She hasn't mentioned it to anyone-not even Joel. To her it wasn't a big deal. It was just another day of the year. She's heard stories of kids having parties with cakes and presents on their birthdays before the world ended, but she didn't see a lot of that in Boston. All that happened at the school she went to was the acknowledgement of the person's birthday and some pats on the back. That's not to say friends didn't do things for each other that Ellie didn't know about. She and Riley did something for one another on her fourteenth birthday and Riley's sixteenth. Riley surprised Ellie with her first pun book and a cassette for her Walkman. Ellie surprised Riley with a new backpack and a camera to snap pictures of them. Before that, Ellie never really acknowledged them and didn't see the point to now. She marked it on the calendar on her desk just to remind herself that she survived another year.

"I think you're holding something in, girly." Maria said to Ellie. "And I'm not going to pry, I hate when people do that, but just know you can always talk to me."

Ellie looked at Maria and smiled. She really liked Maria. She was really nice and definitely a person Ellie could turn to with something, but Ellie didn't think there was anything to go to Maria about. "Thanks."

Just then a high pitched scream rattled through the air, causing Maria and Ellie turn and look into where Mary and Katelyn were riding. A stalker had made its way out of the tree line, causing Ashes to jump up on his hind legs and throw Katelyn off. Mary landed on the ground with a loud thud as Lucy took off in a sprint and jumped over the fence to run as far away from the stalker taking Katelyn with her. Ellie jumped over the fence and rushed over to Katelyn as Maria rushed over to console Ashes. The stalker heard all the commotion and headed towards it, only to run right into the electrified fence. Ellie watched from where she was as the stalker was electrocuted, its whole body seizing before falling to the ground after a few moments and twitching from the shocks. After it was down, Ellie looked down at Mary who was holding her left forearm close to her body with her other one.

"How bad does it hurt?" Ellie asked as she placed a hand on Mary's back.

"Really bad." she answered. "Where's Katelyn?"

"The horse took her farther into town. We have to get you over to the infirmary."

"Okay."

Ellie helped Mary to her feet just as Maria finally managed to calm Ashes down. Once the horse was consoled, Maria rushed over to the girls. She looked down at Katelyn cradling her forearm. "I'll take her to the infirmary." Ellie told Maria. "Can you go track down Katelyn?"

"Of course. I'll send her over to the infirmary and then go get your parents." Maria told Katelyn.

"Thank you." Mary said to Maria.

Ellie led Mary out of the grazing yard, an arm around the girl's shoulders as she clutched her forearm. "Man it really hurts." she told Ellie. "You ever break your arm? Or a bone for that matter?"

Ellie shook her head. "No. Have been in a horse accident though."

"You were thrown before?"

Ellie shook her head as she thought about Callus's tragic end. She really did miss that horse. "No, but the horse and I did fall down a ledge." she told Katelyn, leaving out the detail that Callus was shot by some no good cannibal first.

"And you didn't break anything?"

"Nope."

"Man…you must have strong bones."

"I'd like to think so."

Mary laughed softly making Ellie smile. She seemed to have a knack for making people smile when they were injured. When Joel got injured at the university, she remembered his soft chuckle after she said he was definitely singing for her if she got him out of there. Now she made Katelyn chuckle with what is probably a broken wrist. Screw astronaut, she should have been a comedian.

When Ellie and Mary arrived at the infirmary Ellie took a glance down at Mary's wrist and saw that it was beginning to swell and show bruising. It looked like it hurt. The girls walked straight in and were immediately approached by a skinny older woman with mostly gray hair. She wore dirty jeans and a long sleeved white shirt and had a pencil tucked in her ear. "Oh no." she said, her voice gravely. "What happened Mary?"

"A horse threw me." she answered, still clutching her forearm to her stomach.

"Oh dear. Come on let me get a look at you."

The woman led Ellie and Mary into the room where all the beds were and had Katelyn sit on one of them. Ellie sat next to her. "I don't believe I've seen you around before." the woman said to Ellie as she crouched in front of Mary. "You have a name sweetie?"

Ellie looked at the woman and was greeted with one of the warmest of smiles. "Ellie." she told the woman. "I just got here last week."

"Well it's very nice to meet you. I'm Mayella."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Alright let me take a look at that appendage there Mary."

Mary held out her arm, her face wincing in pain as she extended it. Mayella felt the girl's forearm for a few moments and asked Katelyn on a scale one to ten how much it hurt. Katelyn answered "An eight."

After another minute of feeling around Mary's arm and taking a closer look on how it looked extended, Mayella had her rest her arm down again. "Well your wrist is definitely sprained. Not broken luckily." Mayella told her. "I don't think there's too much damage since you seem to be able to move it alright. I am going to have you ice it every few hours every day for the next week or so for about a half an hour. I also want you to keep it wrapped and in a splint, too."

"Yes ma'am." Mary replied.

Mayella smiled. "Good girl. Zachary come in here!"

Ellie furrowed her eyebrows at the name and then heard footsteps approach. She turned around and saw a blonde haired boy with a black eye walk in. He had an expression on his face that read like he really didn't want to be there. He stopped in the doorway and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Can you bring me some wrist wrap and a splint please?" Mayella asked Zachary. He simply nodded and walked across the room and opened up the one cabinet, pulling out what Mayella asked for and taking it over to her. Once he handed the items to Mayella, he turned to walk away. "Thank you!" Mayella called after him.

"Sure thing." he muttered in response.

Mayella let out an annoyed breath as she grabbed the wrist wraps and motioned for Katelyn to raise her arm a bit. "He was such a nice boy before." she said. "Now he's always got some sort of attitude or in an unpleasant mood."

Before Ellie could comment, the door to the infirmary and Mary came rushing in with who Ellie assumed were she and Katelyn's parents. The mother was rather short-probably only standing at about five four whereas the father was around Joel's height. Ellie could immediately see the resemblance of both Katelyn and Mary in their mother whom had green eyes like both girls and hair like Katelyn, but they didn't resemble their father all that much. Their father had red hair and brown eyes whereas the girls had dark green eyes and brown and black hair. It made Ellie wonder if it wasn't their real father despite Katelyn and Mary saying they lived with their mom and dad.

"Oh my God, Mary!" Mary's mother gasped as she rushed over. Ellie immediately stood up and moved out of the way so the family could have the space they needed. "Are you alright, baby?" Mary's mother asked as she sat by her daughter's side and smoothed down Mary's black hair as Katelyn sat on the other side of her sister to hold her sibling's hand.

"I'm fine, Mom." Mary assured her mother as Mayella continued to wrap the young girl's wrist. Mary and Katelyn's father stood a few inches to the right of Ellie with his arms crossed, a look of anger on his face before turning towards Ellie. "How did this happen?" he asked her, his voice stern.

"An infected came up to the fence, startled the horses." Ellie told the man, not even a little afraid of him at all. Not a lot scared her these days. She's sort of grown numb to a lot of it. Even infected. Sure when they popped out of nowhere her heart hammered in her chest and the sounds of a hunter's boots made her go into survival mode, but after everything she's been through she knew she could handle it.

"Pete calm down." Mary said to him. She called him by his first name. Pete wasn't her real dad. "It's just a sprain and I'm fine."

Just then, the door to the infirmary opened and Maria came in. She walked over to the scene and stood by Ellie, her eyes on Mary. "How is she, May?" Maria asked.

"She'll make a full recovery, Maria." Mayella replied as she finished wrapping Mary's wrist before putting in the splint.

"Can I have a word with you outside, Maria?" It wasn't a question Pete asked. It was a demand. He turned around and headed outside, Maria letting out a heavy breath before following after him. Once the two were outside, Ellie turned back towards Mary. "Are you okay?" she asked Mary who nodded in response. "I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Ellie told Mary before going to head for the door.

"Hey Ellie wait." Mary's voice sounded.

Ellie turned around and looked back at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being here for me. It means a lot. You're a good friend."

The comment made Ellie stop in her tracks. Not only did Mary had a look of genuine appreciation and gratitude on her face, but she called Ellie her friend. Ever since Ellie met Mary and Katelyn, she thought of them more as acquaintances and the two sisters she worked at the stables with. But now Mary made the proclamation that they were friend. It made a warmth spread through Ellie at the thought of having a friend, but at the same time she felt warm and fuzzy, it felt like ice ran through her veins at the exact same second. Ellie's only had two _**real**_ friends in her life and they were both dead. Riley whom she lost almost a year ago and then Sam whom died only a month after Riley. Could Ellie handle another friend? Another friend she could possibly lose even within the safety of Jackson?

Outside the infirmary, Maria and Pete were standing at the bottom of the steps arguing. "How many times have I told you and Tommy we need more sweeps of the woods?" Pete snapped. "Infected are starting to trickle over here and sooner or later it's gonna get worse."

"Pete I understand you're mad, but it's not like it got through the fence and attacked anyone." Maria replied.

"This time. What if one does some day? What then?" Pete's voice was increasingly getting angrier.

"This is the first time in over a month we've had an infected come up to the fence like that."

" _ **It wouldn't have happened if we watched the woods more**_!"

Now that Pete was on the verge of screaming, Ellie jumped in. He had the right of a guardian to be upset over one of his kids being injured, but he was over reacting big time. She didn't like how Pete was speaking to Maria either and needed to be put in his place. "Hey dude." Ellie said a she walked down the steps. "Why don't you stop being a dick for second and instead of yelling at Maria go sit with Mary who needs you?"

Pete turned towards Ellie with a raised eyebrow in shock as Maria did too, but she didn't have a disapproving look. She had the same shock Pete wore. Ellie knew Joel wouldn't have been surprised by her outburst. She's had a history of speaking her mind and opinion in any situation she found herself in. She didn't hesitate to go off on Bill after he handcuffed her and was the first to suggest teaming up with Henry and Sam.

"And who the hell are you where _**you**_ think you are to speak to me like that?" Pete growled.

"Pete." Maria hissed.

"No. This kid doesn't seem to have a sense of respect whatsoever."

"Why should I respect someone who clearly doesn't deserve it?" Ellie said to Pete, causing him to get angrier.

"Listen. I don't know who the hell you think you are but I'd keep your mouth closed if I were you."

"Or what?"

"Alright Ellie that's enough." Maria told her. "You can go home for the afternoon. Pete I will talk to Tommy right now and see what we can do about starting regular sweeps of the woods, but until then I don't want to hear another word of this."

Pete left without another word, shooting Ellie a dirty look before going back into the infirmary. Maria turned towards Ellie and placed her hands on her hips. Ellie could already feel the speech coming. Back in Boston she always got long lectures about her misbehavior. She and Riley were always getting into things they shouldn't have been and when they were caught they paid for it. Most of the time it was just extra chores, but sometimes they were put on probation or separated from the other kids. "Ellie…" Maria began. "I appreciate the support, I do, but you can't talk to people like that."

Ellie looked down at her shoes for a minute. "Sorry." she apologized as she looked back at Maria. "I just can't stand people like that."

"Like what?"

"Arrogant hot heads."

Maria let out a laugh. "Yeah well you're right about that. Nevertheless, it's different in here than out there on the road. You have to learn what things are appropriate to say and when it's appropriate to say them."

"Easier said than done."

"I have faith in you. Not get on home. I'm sure Joel will be back with Sadie soon."

"Okay."

Ellie turned and began walking in the direction of her and Joel's house, but Maria's voice stopped her. "And maybe you can do something about the profanity?" she asked. Ellie chuckled and turned around, but continued walking backwards. "One thing at a time there Maria." she told her before turning back around and heading towards home.

On her way home, Ellie past the town hall and saw a lot of commotion going on. People were carrying dishes and boxes inside and based on what Ellie could see through the windows, there were others setting things up on the tables. Curious, she headed inside and saw the town hall which was once empty with the exception of the stables was now transformed into something much more decorated. The tables had dark red table cloths on them now with candles in the middle of them. Off to the left by the window there were folding tables set up now where people were setting plates and silverware that they carried in. No one paid any attention to Ellie as she walked into the hall and watched what they were doing. She wandered over to the windows so she'd be out of the way of everyone. There had to be fifteen people setting things up, five of them kids that weren't older than about eleven.

"There's a town dinner tomorrow." a voice suddenly sounded causing Ellie to turn. It was Sadie who was carrying a box in her hands and a guitar on her back. "Like I told you on the tour, we have them maybe once a month. Everyone brings a dish of food and there's music and dancing. Way to keep things light around here."

"Is Joel alright?" Ellie immediately asked, disregarding what Sadie had said.

"He's just fine, not a scratch on him." Sadie told her as she readjusted her grip on the box. "We got back maybe twenty minutes ago. Said he was going to the stables where you should be."

"Maria let me off early."

"Well while you're here think you could lend me a hand for two minutes?"

Ellie's first thought as no. She wanted to go see for herself that Joel was alright, but at the same time she didn't want to be rude to Sadie who has been nothing but nice since Ellie met her. Besides, Sadie said Joel didn't have a scratch and it was only two minutes. "Sure."

"Alright follow me." Sadie said as she walked around Ellie to the back of the hall where the open space and stage was. In the back of the stage there were two speakers set up on a table with a remote next to them. Ellie followed her up to the stage where Sadie set the box down next to a microphone stand. She recognized it when she saw one in a music store at the mall in Boston. Ellie stood as Sadie opened the box and pulled out a microphone. She flipped a switch on it, placed it on the stand, and then turned towards Ellie.

"You're going to be my mic checker." she told Ellie. "All you have to do is say something into the microphone when I say. Got it?"

"Think I can handle it."

"Awesome."

Sadie smiled and went over to speakers where she hit a couple of buttons and turned a few dials before telling Ellie to go ahead. Ellie went over to the microphone and stood in front of it for a second before speaking. "Hello." Her voice sounded out of the speakers and filled the room causing a few pairs of eyes to go to her. Feeling uncomfortable from the looks, she backed away from the front of the stage. "You girl are my lucky charm!" Sadie's voice half yelled as she turned towards Ellie. "I never get this working on the first try."

"Glad I could help." Ellie told Sadie.

"Well I won't keep you from going and checking on Joel any longer. Thanks Ellie."

"No problem."

Ellie turned and walked off the stage and out of the hall where she saw Joel walking. He still had his backpack on and scanned the area in front of him, but didn't think to look a little right where Ellie was standing a few yards away. She smiled when she saw him and called out to him. "Joel!"

The sound of the familiar voice calling out his name made Joel look to the direction of where the voice came from and sure enough there she was. She walked over to him, a little faster than normal

speed, and stopped in front of him. "How'd it go?" Ellie asked before Joel could get a word out. "Any problems?"

Joel smiled upon seeing Ellie and jerked his head to the left, the direction of their house. They turned and began to walk. "Ran into a couple of bandits, but it was nothing." he told her. He didn't want to tell her at first, thinking she may worry too much, but then realized he'd lied to her enough. "Took em' out quietly. Sadie is going to talk to Tommy about it tonight."

"Where were they?" Ellie asked. The news about the bandits took Ellie by surprise since they only went to the road which wasn't far from the settlement. Then again Maria mentioned months ago they were a problem.

"Ran into them on the way back while we searched a store." Joel told her as their house came into view. "Like I said, we took care of it. So you got the afternoon off Maria said?"

"Yeah.

When they got to their porch, Joel was asking Ellie what she wanted for dinner when a voice made them turn around. "Oh no." Ellie said when she saw it was Pete. Joel knew him too. It was the guy who snapped at him at the town hall when Joel was leaving from getting rations. "You know that guy?" Joel quietly asked Ellie as he approached.

"It's Mary and Katelyn's stepdad." Ellie told him.

Joel crossed his arms as Pete approached, who stopped at the bottom of the step and shot a look at Ellie before looking at Joel. "I want you to keep that brat daughter of yours away from mine." Pete warned, his tone sharp. "After the way she acted outside the infirmary earlier I don't think she'd be the best influence on my kids."

"Excuse me?" Joel snapped.

"She was way out of line in how she spoke to me."

Joel looked over at Ellie. "Ellie go inside."

Ellie opened her mouth in surprise. Was he not taking her side? He didn't even know the half of it. "But-" she began.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Ellie let out an annoyed breath and went inside, leaving Joel and Pete alone outside. Once she was through the door she turned around and put her ear against it.

Joel watched her go inside before turning back towards Pete who still had an angry expression. "Just so we're clear." he began. "If we were anywhere else I'd put you on the ground, but I'm going to be civil right now which is more than what I can say about you. If you ever come to my home again, insult that girl, or act anywhere close to how you're acting now I won't give a damn where we are and who's watching."

Pete stood up straight and shot Joel the dirtiest of looks. "Is that right?"

"Yes that's right. I don't care what she said to you or how she said because chances are you deserved it. Now get out of here before I change my mind about being civil."

"You better watch yourself."

That was the last thing Pete said before turning around and walking off. Joel let out a breath and turned around to go inside. Once he was in, he walked into the living room where Ellie was laying on the couch. "Scoot." he said as he went to sit down causing Ellie to pull her legs up.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" Joel asked.

Ellie sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "He was completely over reacting and being a dick to Maria after what happened to Mary."

"Did you call him that?"

"…maybe."

Joel let out a chuckle before looking at her. "Look he's got kids. Even if he is their stepdad. He's allowed to over react when one gets hurt, but after what I've seen of him he seems to be a dick by nature."

It was Ellie's turn to chuckle. "So you're on my side?"

"Ellie, I'm always on your side."

That made Ellie perk up a little. The only person who ever said that to her was Riley. "Really?"

"Of course. I know you more than you think and you aren't rude to anyone who doesn't deserve it."

What Joel said made Ellie smile. It was nice to have someone count on having your back and being on your side. Things have been better between them ever since they're first visit to Tommy in the ranch house. They got honest with one another and it's what they needed. Then after what happened in the winter it brought them even closer together. Ellie remembered how advanced he got in normal conversation. In fact he was the more talkative of the two of them since she sort of shut down after David.

The feeling of Joel patting her knee broke her from her thoughts. She watched as he stood up and then headed into the kitchen. "Alright if you don't answer that question about dinner I'll just make sardines and chicken livers." Joel called out.

"Oh that's just foul!" Ellie called back as she stood up and walked after him into the kitchen. "But chicken does sound good."


	7. Musical Nights P1

The next morning when Ellie woke up, she stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. She has officially lasted fifteen years in this shitty world. She'd probably be more impressed with that statement if she survived in the world for all those years, but she spent fourteen of them in a quarantine zone where there were walls and soldiers and protection. Joel has lasted over twenty years in the world and had to really survive for a lot of them. Ellie didn't know the full meaning of what that meant until she left Boston and found out the true meaning of kill or be killed. All Ellie would ever know was quarantine zones and hunters and infected. That was one of the perks that Joel had. He could at least remember the before world. He could look back on Sunday night football, playing the guitar on his porch, and having a real family. He had real parents, a brother to grow up with, and he had a little girl. Even though she knew it pained him to remember Sarah, she knew he'd finally come to terms with his daughter's death. After their argument in the ranch house, he mentioned his daughter openly time to time which is something he never did before. She didn't even know about Sarah until they found Tommy and Maria.

Ellie never had that. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, her mom died shortly after she was born, her father was mystery, and she grew up in a boarding school where she had a total of one friend who was no longer alive. But now Ellie had a second chance to live a life that was really worth having. This may have been her fifteenth year alive, but it was the first year she'd have a real life. A life where she could make memories as good as the ones Joel had from the before world. Maybe that was worth celebrating.

Once she tore her eyes away from the ceiling, Ellie got dressed in her usual clothes. Jeans, flannel, converse sneakers. She brushed her teeth and brushed her hair out in the bathroom before tying her auburn locks into her usual ponytail. As she made her bed, Ellie could hear Joel downstairs. He was always up first. What caught her attention though was the delicious aroma of something cooking. She couldn't recognize what it was so she rushed downstairs to see what it was.

In the kitchen, she found Joel taking something out of the pan and placing it on a plate. "What are you cooking?" Ellie asked as she took her usual seat at the counter where a plate and utensils awaited her and she noticed a covered plate sitting in the center. Looking over at the sink she saw another pan, a bowl, and a few other kitchen utensils soaking in soapy water.

"Bacon." Joel replied as he turned around and brought the plate to the counter.

"Bacon?"

"You never had it? It's a delicacy. Swear."

"Sure does smell good."

Joel smiled and set the plate down by Ellie before uncovering the plate in the center, revealing several round and tan fluffy-looking circles. "Pancakes." Joel told her as he picked up two with a fork and dropped them on her plate. Then he picked up a few pieces of bacon and plopped them next to the pancakes. Ellie looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Maria mentioned how well you've been doing at the stables the other day and I thought you deserved a little reward." Joel told her as he put some food on his own plate. "That and for making a real effort here."

Ellie looked down at her plate as she picked up her utensils, wondering if these so called pancakes would be tasty. She cut a piece off of one, Joel watching her as she did, and took a bite. "Oh my God." she said with a mouth full, making Joel smile. "These are so good!"

"Try the bacon." Joel told her.

Ellie abided and picked up one of the strips of meat, swallowing her bite of pancake first before taking a bite out of the bacon. She let out a sound of approval. "This is even better." she commented. Joel smiled a little wider as he cut into his own pancakes. He watched as Ellie devoured her breakfast, eating everything on her plate and then getting seconds. Joel was glad she enjoyed it being that he didn't know if she liked bacon or pancakes or ever had either to begin with. He was doing his best to make it as least obvious as possible that he knew it was her birthday, figuring that there was a reason she didn't tell him. He planned breakfast, intended to do what he could for her Walkman, and give her the books he picked up for her before the town dinner tonight. That is if they went to it. Maybe she'd realize he knew it was her birthday and maybe she wouldn't, all Joel knew was he wanted to do something nice for her after everything she's been through.

Halfway through her second helping of food, Ellie realized she hadn't said a word to Joel since they started eating. "So we're going to the town dinner tonight I'm assuming?" she asked. He looked up from his plate. "We don't have to if you don't want to." he told her. "We could stay in, have dinner here, and watch some other movie where the main character dies so you can bitch about it."

Ellie nearly choked on her pancakes as she laughed. It made Joel laugh, too. Once the laughs were out, Ellie spoke again. "No I think we should go. It's the first one, we're new, plus Sadie said there's music. You could finally sing for me."

Joel let out a breath. "I guess I still owe you that, huh kiddo?"

"Well I _did_ save your life. I think that entitles me to a song."

Joel set his utensils down and leaned forward on the counter on his forearms. "Tell you what." he began. "I haven't sang in front of a crowd for a long, long time and I don't feel like doing that tonight. But if you really want me to sing for you, figure out a song and I'll sing it for you when we get home tonight."

Ellie perked up in excitement. "Really?" she questioned. "You'll really sing?"

"I do owe you one." Joel told her, ready to sing if she really wanted him to sing for her. He owed her more than one, he owed her a million. For saving his life in the winter, for saving his ass who knows how many times during their travels, for saving him from himself…he owed her so much.

"Yes! Finally! I get to hear the famous voice of Joel…Joel…you know come to think of it I don't know your last name."

Joel laughed. "You wanna know it?"

"Why not?"

"It's Miller."

"Miller….hm. Joel Miller. Yeah I'd say that slides off the tongue pretty smoothly."

Joel stood up and took his plate over to the sink where the rest of the dirty dishes sat in hot, soapy, water soaking. He added his plate to the mess when he heard Ellie get up. "Need help with clean up?" she asked.

"No I think I got it." he replied as he turned around to face her. "Why don't you get on to the stables? You're already late."

"Hey it's your fault I'm late, but, thanks a lot for breakfast. It was really good."

"Don't mention it, kiddo. Now get goin'."

With a smile Ellie turned around, her ponytail whipping in the air in the process, and headed out of the house.

 **OOOOO**

Ellie was on the way to the stables, her mind filled with the thoughts of how she may have had one too many pancakes when a voice called out her name. She turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Tommy approaching her. He was in jeans and stained red t-shirt, his hair tucked behind his ears like it always was. "Hey Tommy." she said as he approached. "What's up?"

"Maria told me to find you. She is having someone else hold down the horses today and needs your help over at the hall. Just preparation for tonight." Tommy told Ellie.

"Oh alright. Thanks for telling me."

Tommy was about to leave again, but Ellie stopped him. "Hey wait." she said. Joel told her she needed to figure out a song for him to sing and she didn't know many. She didn't listen to a lot of music, only the tapes she had for her Walkman which she hasn't listened to in months. Besides, she didn't know what songs Joel knew and her best bet at figuring it out was Tommy. He was Joel's brother after all. "Joel said he'd and that I had to pick the song, but I really don't know any." she went on, grabbing Tommy's attention. "Do you know any of this favorite songs or anything?"

Tommy thought for a minute back to the days where his brother would sit on his porch and play his guitar. He remembered how much Sarah loved hearing him sing. She'd sit on the porch with him and just listen for however long he'd sing for. Tommy could remember Joel lulling her to sleep when she was a baby and toddler on nights she couldn't sleep. He'd carry her in his arms around the house and sing her a soothing tune until she her eyes closed for the night. Even when she got older and had the occasional bad dream, Joel sang her back to sleep. Then on weekends during the school year and nights in the summer, Tommy could find the two on the front or back porch together, Joel singing and Sarah listening intently. Knowing better than telling Ellie a song that Joel sang mostly for Sarah, he picked out one of Joel's favorite artists instead.

"He always loved country." he told Ellie. "His favorite artist was Kip Moore. Ask him to sing one of his songs."

"Thanks Tommy."

Tommy took off after that and Ellie watched him before heading to the town hall. She wondered if Maria would still be pissed about her mouthing off to Pete the way she did even though she found herself justified. Ellie had a feeling Maria had already let it go. She seemed like the type to accept an occurrence and then move on if it wasn't a big deal. The incident didn't look like it would disturb the peace too much or stir up much of anything. In fact Pete was the one who made things worse by showing up at her and Joel's house last night.

At the town hall there was a whole mess of people, ones Ellie hadn't even seen before, going in and out of the building. The ones walking in were carrying dishes containing of who knows what. Ellie didn't know how much preparation was needed for this kind of thing called for at first, but when she walked inside and saw a few people up on ladders stringing up lights above the stage and windows. They really went all out on this thing.

"We don't usually have the lights." Maria's voice sounded as she appeared next to Ellie with a box in her hands. "But since we got another turbine working, we can afford to use some extra power."

"It looks great." Ellie complimented as she looked around. She saw Sadie up on the stage again stringing some lights with the boy she saw in the infirmary the other day. He holding the ladder Sadie stood on as she strung the lights, watching and ready to catch her if she fell.

"Do you know how Mary is doing?" Ellie asked Maria. Ellie didn't dare go look for her friend after the accident yesterday. It was crystal clear that Pete didn't want her near his stepdaughters and figured it was better to provide the space that was obviously needed. Too much went on yesterday to stir up anything more today.

"I gave Mary and Katelyn the day off." Maria told her. "Mary will probably be out of commission for almost two weeks while her wrist heals. Katelyn will be back at the stables tomorrow."

"Do you still want me there? You know after what I said to Pete?"

Maria set the box she was holding on the table she stood by before turning back to Ellie. "You know I love having you there, Ellie, but Pete came and talked to me earlier this morning. He is still fuming over everything that happened yesterday. I think it's best if you give the girls some distance for a little bit. Think you could do that for me?"

Ellie nodded. She understood, but couldn't help but feel upset over pretty much losing the two friends she's made since she arrived at the settlement. She didn't think she'd be able to make any to begin with and her friendship with Mary wasn't even confirmed until yesterday. Now she'd have to go through this whole process all over again. The introductions, the back stories, and so on.

"What other jobs are there that I can do?" Ellie eventually asked.

"Hmm…." Maria sounded. "You could help out at the infirmary, help out with harvesting some of the crops, maybe talk to Sadie about helping out at her garage. She runs that place by herself pretty much. I'm sure she could use and extra set of hands time to time."

"I guess I'll think about it." Ellie said.

"Alright just let me know. Ready to get to work?"

"Sure thing."

Ellie helped out by setting all the tables with plates and utensils with Maria. It took a while since there were a lot of places to set up. Turns out all the plate and silverware were donated by the households for the dinner. Ellie couldn't help but tell Maria her joke about what the Confederate soldiers ate off of ( _Civil ware_ ) earning herself a laugh from Maria. When they were done setting tables, they placed candles on all of them before stringing up the last of the lights. By the time the place was finished it was going on one o'clock. The hall looked really good when Ellie looked at the final product. The lights weren't turned on yet, but knew the whole place would illuminate once night fell. All the food would be brought when people arrived and placed off to the side like a buffet so people could take what they liked.

"Won't the music attract clickers, though?" she had asked Maria.

"Nope." she answered. "When Tommy first got the idea for this we ran who knows how many sound tests. We only use the two speakers and keep it at a volume that can't be heard past the houses that surround the hall. We have taken every precaution in the book."

After hearing that, it made Ellie relax and really look forward to the night. Once they were done, Maria gave Ellie the afternoon off since there was really no more work for her. She wandered around for a little while, stopping at the infirmary to talk to Mayella about possibly helping out there sometime. The old woman was ecstatic at the idea. "I only have Zach here and he hasn't been very pleasant lately." she told Ellie. "It would be nice to have a fresh face around here." After that Mayella told Ellie to stop by tomorrow.

Once she left the infirmary, Ellie saw it a good idea to just go home and relax while she could. It was only around three and Joel didn't get home for another hour or so. When she first walked in the door, she kicked her shoes off and went into the kitchen to see if there was anything left to clean up from breakfast. She put the dishes that were now dry in the proper cabinets and drawers. Once she did that she plopped down on the couch and picked up her comic book off the coffee table. It didn't take her long to finish it since she was already halfway through it. After she was done with that, she threw it back on the coffee table and thought about what she could do until Joel got home. She decided to head up to her room and lay down for a bit since she was kind of tired from setting up everything in the town hall.

When Ellie walked into her room, the first thing she noticed was her Walkman sitting on her bed. With a raised eyebrow, she walked over to her bed. She kept her Walkman tucked away in her closet since it didn't work anymore and now it was on her bed. Only there was a note next to it. She picked it up and read the scribbled handwriting.

 _New batteries and thirty minutes of screwing around with it did the trick. Enjoy._

The paper fell out of her hands as Ellie scrambled to pick up her Walkman. She put her headphones in it and checked to see if the tape was still inside and sure enough it was. After closing it up, she turned it on and listened as the guitars and trumpets began playing just before the woman began singing.

 _"People say that we don't know_

 _What love is or how to make it grow_

 _Well, I don't know if all that's true_

 _'Cause you got me and baby, I got you."_

Hearing the lyrics again brought tears to Ellie's eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes as she listened to the song. The last time she listened to this song her and Riley were dancing on that countertop in the mall without a worry in the world. In that moment there were no infected or military boarding schools. It was just her and her best friend. Then all at once her whole world came crashing down. One minute it was laughs and Riley staying rather than going to the two of them being bitten and talking about suicide or waiting it out. Sure they were being stupid and childish by playing the music so loud in a restricted area, but Ellie didn't even know much about clickers until she wound up in Tess and Joel's care.

As the song continued, Ellie slid to the floor and saw with her back to the bed. She rested her head on her knees as tears continued to fall from her emerald green eyes. She missed Riley so much and this song made all those emotions and feelings come out. She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and nose as she tried to console herself, but it was useless. It felt like someone just ribbed her open and now all of her emotions were pouring out of her through an open wound. She could still see Riley's smile and still hear her laugh bounce off a room's walls like ping pong balls. Ellie wished the last memory she had of Riley was a good one, but it wasn't. She could remember the look in Riley's eyes as she told Ellie how they should just wait it out. Riley wanted to cry, she was as mad and scared as Ellie was, but she didn't dare shed a tear. She was being strong for Ellie's sake.

Ellie sat on the floor grieving over her friend as long as the tape played. When the last song eventually came on she felt exhausted from all the crying and her face felt swollen from the redness and puffiness of her eyes and cheeks. As the last song played, she managed to console herself to get a few words out.

" _I miss you, Riley."_

 **OOOOO**

When Joel walked inside after getting home, he almost tripped over Ellie's sneakers. "God damn it." he muttered as he stepped over them. He kicked them to the side and headed for the stairs. They finished the house today and he smelled awful. He had dirt and dust all over him and his clothes reeked of sweat. "Ellie?" Joel called out as he made his way up the stairs. He heard the sound of shuffling feet as he ascended the steps.

"In my room!" she called back.

Joel got to the top of the steps and stood in front of Ellie's closed door. "We're gonna go in about an hour or so if you wanna get a shower after me."

"Okay." The word was followed by the faint sound of a sniffle.

Joel turned to head into the bathroom but hesitated when he heard the sniffle. He turned back towards the door and knocked on it gently. "Everything alright, kiddo?" he asked.

The door opened and Joel's eyes wandered down to the height where Ellie's eyes were. Her hair was in its normal ponytail and she was still in the clothes she wore this morning. Everything about her looked fine. She didn't look hurt or sick, but something about her seemed off.

"Everything's fine." she told him. "Why?"

Joel shook his head. "Just making sure."

"You fixed my Walkman."

Joel allowed himself to smile a tad. When he finally got the damn thing working, he literally jumped off the couch the way a football fan did when their team scored a touchdown. He was over the moon that he actually got it working. Once he made sure the tape worked in it, he set it on her bed with a note before he left for work.

"You kept going on about how you wanted to fix it." Joel told Ellie. "Just beat ya' to it."

Before either of them could do one more single thing, Ellie took a step forwards and put her arms around Joel's torso and hugged him tight. The embrace took Joel completely by surprise and he froze in an almost shock like state. She's never hugged him like this. The only time the two shared an embrace was after Joel pulled her off of David's body back in the winter. Before and after that, neither of them were the kind to express their care for one another with embraces like this one.

"Thank you." Ellie said as she continued to hug him. "You have no idea how much it means."

Hearing that caused Joel to wrap an arm around Ellie. He didn't even think about it, he just did it. That Walkman obviously had some sort of sentimental meaning behind it he didn't know about and may never know about. Either way, fixing it made Joel feel even better about being able to fix it for her.

"Sure thing, kiddo." he managed to get out.

After that, Ellie let him go and backed into her room again. "You really need a shower." she said. "You smell awful."

Joel chuckled and so did Ellie before she shut her door again.


	8. Musical Nights P2

The town dinner was what a party was supposed to be. There was delicious food, music, people dancing, and smiles and laughter all around. The lights that everyone strung up earlier were lit and illuminated the hall to perfection. There were dishes and dishes of all sorts of food from pasta to vegetable stew to venison steaks. There were even a few pies and dishes of cookies. The music was a variety of people going up to the microphone and singing a song or two of their choice with a young girl probably in her early thirties playing the guitar. Some older residents sang classic rock from the eighties whereas others sang tunes from the time just before the world ended. Tommy kept bugging Joel to go up and sing a few lines to which Joel replied with, "Next time."

Joel and Ellie sat with Tommy and Maria at one of the tables close to the stage to really hear the music. If you were sitting by the door, it was a little to make out the lyrics over the conversations. Ellie was on just finishing up her first serving of mashed potatoes and venison when Tommy pulled Maria to the dance floor. She and Joel watched as the couple made it to the dance floor before Tommy spun his wife around twice and pulled her close to dance as the singer on stage began to sing "Don't Ya" by Brett Eldridge. Ellie watched as Tommy and Maria danced around the floor, spinning her, stepping to the side a few steps, then back again, taking a step forward and then back again. It looked easy, but Ellie knew it was harder than it looked. Despite the fact that they were both wearing jeans and boots, they made the whole damn thing look so graceful.

"That's how he got all of his high school girlfriends." Joel told Ellie. "He'd ask em' out and take them dancing. Girls back then ate that shit right up."

Ellie smiled as Tommy and Maria spun around together and he pulled her close once more. They looked at one another with a look that made anyone knew who saw it that they were crazy about each other. Some of the books Ellie had read in her days made her hope a little for something like that, but at the same time that was never a huge concern in this world.

As Joel and Ellie watched Tommy and Maria dance, Sadie came over. Joel smiled as she approached. She was on jean capris and sleeveless button up gray top, her hair loose around her shoulders. She took a seat next to Joel, but looked past him at Ellie. "Hey Ellie." she greeted. "You enjoying the party?"

"Yeah." Ellie replied.

Sadie smiled and then looked at Joel. "How about you?"

"It's something I'll give you that."

"That it is."

Looking at the dance floor, Sadie saw Tommy and Maria on the dance floor. "That's how he got her attention you know." she told Joel. "First town dinner he asked her to dance."

Joel laughed. "Doesn't surprise me at all."

The three sat at the table and watched the others on the dance floor enjoy themselves. There were six or seven other couples, two of them dads with their daughters and two of them mothers with their sons. Seeing the father and daughters hit a nerve in Joel, but he pushed through it. He accepted Sarah's death and although he has been able to live again, a part of him would always carry that ounce of guilt.

Turning his attention to Sadie, he noticed she had an upset looking face for a moment before she felt his eyes on her. "Well I'm singing next." she announced. "Guess I should get ready to go."

"You sing?" Ellie asked.

"My mom had the kind of singing voice that made everyone who could hear it stop and listen. I was fortunate enough it inherit a fraction of that talent."

Joel watched as Sadie stood up and headed up to the stage as the singer up there finished the song. Everyone on the dance floor and stopped dancing as Sadie approached the microphone. "As much fun as it is to dance until your feet hurt, I think we're going to slow it down for this track." Sadie said through the microphone. "So grab some food and give your feet a break."

Everyone on the dance floor left the floor and headed for the tables to sit with their family and friends. Joel watched as Sadie took the guitar from the girl on the stage and put it around her, tuning it as she approached the microphone. Once she had the strings tuned, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

" _There are loved ones in the glory_

 _Whose dear forms you often miss_

 _When you close your earthly story_

 _Will you join them in their bliss?"_

Joel felt his jaw drop a little at the sound of Sadie's voice. It was so clear and soft, perfectly on key.

" _Will the circle be unbroken?_

 _By and by, by and by?_

 _Is a better home awaiting_

 _In the sky, in the sky?"_

Joel's eyes didn't leave Sadie as she sang. He was so captivated by her voice. He hasn't heard a voice like hers in such a long time. It was like a breath of fresh air.

"Girl has a set of pipes, huh?" Tommy's voice sounded from next to Joel.

"I'll say." Joel replied, his eyes still on Sadie.

"Back in the Fireflies she used to sing when things were bad. When we were in the dark, she made light by singing. She managed to bring everyone's spirits up."

Joel continued watching Sadie as she sang, her voice never cracking or going off key. He could tell she was absorbed in the music and lyrics, by the way her eyes closed for several seconds at a time and how her body swayed to the tune of her guitar. Everyone spoke in hushed voices as she sang, some pausing their conversations to listen to her. During the whole song, Joel's eyes never left Sadie which she noticed from where she stood on stage. She gave him a smile every time her eyes landed on him which he returned, making her cheeks flush a light shade of pink.

Once the song ended, claps and whistles filled the air. Both Joel and Ellie clapped loudly, Ellie giving Sadie a wolf whistle. Joel turned to look at Ellie in surprise. "How the hell do you know how to do that?" Joel questioned. "When I first met you, you couldn't whistle normally."

Ellie smiled proudly. "I'm just that damn impressive."

Joel rolled his eyes at the teen and looked back at the stage just as Sadie handed the guitar off to Zach. She came back over to where Joel sat with Ellie, Maria, and Tommy, plopping down on the other side of Tommy and putting an arm across his shoulders. "Hey buddy." she greeted with a smile. Tommy let out a laugh and nudged her a bit. "Top notch singing there Sade."

Sadie just smiled as she removed her arm before getting up to go get a plate of food.

Ellie watched as the boy she recognized from the infirmary go up to the stage, putting the guitar around him and approaching the microphone. He tuned the guitar before picking at the strings, a melody instantly playing and filling the air. It was much more upbeat than the song sang Sadie sang, but not as much as the song Tommy and Maria danced to. Then he raised his mouth to the microphone and began to sing.

 _I wish I could take a cab down to the creek_

 _And hang a disco ball from an old oak tree_

 _Smoke and drink once in a while_

 _Somehow it'd be good for me_

 _I want a cool chick that'll cook for me_

 _But'll dance on the bar in her tan bare feet_

And do what I want when I want and she'll do it with me His voice had a grit to it, but it was still amazing. He sang the lyrics and played the guitar, getting into the music by tapping his foot to the beat. It wasn't long before a few people went back to the dance floor. "Kieth Urban." Joel said as he watched Zach play. "Look like Sadie knows a thing or two about country music."

"You bet so there lumberjack." Sadie's voice sounded as she sat down next to Ellie with her food. "Zach's parents were musicians so the talent is all natural. Didn't take long to teach him the songs."

Joel and Sadie began talking, but Ellie watched the boy she now knew the name of as he sang. He seemed like he was a bit more relaxed on stage than he was at the infirmary where he was ready to snap at anyone about anything. He seemed as lost in the music as Sadie was when she was up there. It made Ellie wonder if that was the way all musicians were.

 **OOOOO**

The evening passed by in a blur of conversations, food, and music. Tommy and Maria danced more, but Ellie and Joel just hung out at the table and talked to the other people around them. As the evening began to die down though, Sadie asked Joel to dance. Joel first thought was yes, but then he looked at Ellie.

"Think you'll be alright by yourself for a couple of minutes?" he asked her, not wanting to leave her side if she'd be uncomfortable alone.

"I'll be fine." Ellie answered honestly. She wanted Joel to have a good time and not worry so much.

Joel gave her a smile and then followed Sadie to the dance floor just as the girl on stage began to sing "Where Does the Good Go?" When they reached the floor, Sadie turned around and held a hand out to Joel which he took and pulled her in. He placed a hand on her waist as one of hers rested on his shoulder.

"Wow me Miller." she teased as the music began. Joel rolled his eyes as he took the lead, hoping he wouldn't trip over his own feet. Tommy was always a better dancer than he was. He led her around the space they had on the floor, stepping a few steps forward and then to the side and back. He spun her around a few times and pulled her close again, making a genuine laugh erupt from her. He smiled himself and pulled her closer to him, moving his hand lower on her back as he felt her wrap hers tighter around his shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder as they danced around in the same space for a few moments before he pulled back, causing her arms to slip off of him. He quickly took both her hands in his and took a step back, creating distance between the two before pulling releasing one of her hands and spinning her around again. He never once released her hand and it wasn't long before he was pulling close again.

She slipped both her arms around his neck as he slipped his around her waist. "Wowed yet there, Sadie?" he asked.

"Hmm…" she sounded as she met his eyes. "The first time I danced with Tommy he lifted me up like Swayze lifted up Grey in Dirty Dancing."

Joel laughed as he looked away. Of course Tommy would do something like that. And even though Tommy was now happily married to Maria, Joel couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Before he could think more of it, he felt her hand turn his face to look at her.

"But I thought that was too over the top and a bit showy." Sadie told him. "Cool, but showy."

The comment made Joel smile.

Back at the tables Tommy felt Maria nudge him, causing him to look away from his conversation. "What is it sweetie?" Tommy asked as he abandoned his conversation to turn his attention to his wife.

"Look." Maria told him.

Tommy looked where Maria was looking and smiled when he saw his brother on the dance floor with Sadie. There were talking and smiling and looked to be having a good time. Seeing his brother happy made Tommy happy. He looked away to look at Ellie who was watching Joel with a smile. Seeing him happy made her happy, too. Tommy, Maria, and Ellie all watched Joel and Sadie danced and interacted with one another. It was a happy sight.

A minute or so passed by when the song ended and Joel and Sadie separated. Maria nudged Tommy with her elbow a few times, making him laugh as he watched his brother when the happy sight was interrupted by someone. Esther, one of the other women in town approached Sadie and Joel at the song's end and looked to say hi to them. Ellie perked up a little as she watched Esther say something to Joel and then Sadie who responded with a nod and a short statement before walking away. Esther than took Sadie's place on the dance floor with Joel as Sadie walked away from the couple with a fading smile.

Ellie turned around after that to face Tommy and Maria who were frowning as well before Tommy turned back to his previous conversation. "Who's that?" Ellie asked Maria.

"Esther." Maria replied. "She's one of the main farmers here. Her and her brother sort of run that whole department."

Ellie turned her head to look at Joel and Esther on the floor and watched as they began to dance along to the next song that Ellie didn't recognize. Joel didn't seem as interested in Esther as he seemed to be in Sadie at first, but after about a minute into the song he seemed a little into the new girl. Ellie looked around to see where Sadie went and finally located her off to the side getting something to drink. She watched Joel and Esther dance and Ellie didn't miss the show of disappointment play across her face.

 **OOOOO**

Joel and Ellie didn't get home until late after a fun evening. After Joel got off the floor with Esther, Joel offered to teach Ellie a few steps but she refused. "I think I should learn how to swim before anything else." she told him, causing him to make a mental note of that. The two of them left before most of the crowd dispersed to have a cleat walk home. When they got through the door, Joel immediately locked it as he heard Ellie hurry up the steps. He walked into the living room and switched on the lamp before sitting down to take his shoes off. He barely had the second boot unlaced when he heard Ellie coming back down the stairs. She came into his view, the guitar that Tommy put in Joel's room in her hand.

"You still owe me a song." she told him. "And I recently found out you are a Kip Moore fan, whoever the hell that was so, how 'bout one of his songs."

Joel looked at the guitar and then Ellie, a breath escaping his lips before sitting back. "Alright giver 'er here." he told her. With a smile, Ellie handed him the guitar and sat on the other side of the couch. She watched as Joel tuned the guitar and anxiously waited to finally here him sing. He strummed the chords and a melody filled the room that she didn't recognize, but took a liking to. Then after a few seconds, Joel's mouth opened and after pestering him for what seemed like forever…Ellie finally heard him sing.

 _"I know it's been a long time since the last time we talked_

 _I know I've been a stranger and that's all my fault_

 _And asking you for anything don't really seem right_

 _But the winds of change are blowing so I'm begging you tonight"_

A smile appeared on Ellie's face as she heard his voice. It was so clear and deep and it had a grit to it that made it sound country. Suddenly every other noise that existed disappeared and it was just her, Joel, and the music.

" _Give me love when I ain't got nobody_

 _A little hope when I ain't got none at all_

 _Give me light up ahead on a journey_

 _Give me strength when I'm standing_

 _And faith when I fall"_

As Joel sang, he felt himself going back to the person he was before the world ended. Even though he wasn't in Texas and he wasn't with his daughter and the world was shit, he felt like himself. Singing always brought him back somehow. He looked at Ellie in the corner of his eye and saw her smiling and listening intently.

" _I know the rain is coming and it's sure gonna pour_

 _I know there ain't no running from this kind of storm_

 _It's gonna get harder and harder, they keep on pushing through_

 _I'm gonna wanna quit, so I'll be counting on you"_

Ellie smiled at the words finding a meaning in them. She had a feeling this song meant something to him. Whether it reminded him of his family or Tess or the before world…she knew this song meant something to him.

" _To give me love when I ain't got nobody_

 _A little hope when I ain't got none at all_

 _Give me light up ahead on a journey_

 _Give me strength when I'm standing_

 _And faith when I fall_

 _When the clouds start parting and the sun starts shining through_

 _This time I won't forget, I won't forget about you_

 _Give me love when I ain't got nobody_

 _A little hope when I ain't got none at all_

 _Give me love when I ain't got nobody_

 _A little hope when I ain't got none at all_

 _Give me light up ahead on a journey_

 _Give me strength when I'm standing_

 _And faith when I fall_

 _Give me strength when I'm standing_

 _And faith when I fall, yeah"_

Every note and string was played perfectly and not once did Joel sing off key. When the song ended, a silence filled the air after Joel played the last strings and then set the guitar down. "Wow." he heard Ellie say, making him turn his upper body to look at her. "You could have done it you know."

"Huh?" he asked, slightly confused.

"You could have been a singer."

Joel chuckled. "Maybe. Guess we'll never know."

"Thank you. For singing."

Joel nodded. "I keep my promises, kiddo. Glad you liked it."

"I loved it."

The two exchanged silent smiles before Ellie stood up. "I'm pretty beat so I think I'm gonna head to bed. Thanks again for the song. And for fixing my Walkman. And for pancakes and bacon."

"That reminds me." Joel said as he stood up and grabbed the guitar. "Come with me."

Ellie followed after him upstairs and into his room where he set his guitar down and went over to his dresser. He grabbed something off of it and turned back around, walking back to where she stood at the doorway. "I picked these up when I went out with Sadie the other day. Thought you could use some more reading material."

Ellie took what she now realized were books from him and smiled. "Think you'll like Starship Troopers." Joel told her. "Giant bugs and violence."

Ellie laughed as she looked up at him. "Thank Joel. This is really cool."

"Now get on to bed. Don't wanna have flip the mattress to wake you up."

Rolling her eyes, Ellie turned around and left the room with her books clutched close to her chest. Joel watched her disappear from sight and after his door closed, he allowed a small smile to form on his face. Then very quietly, he whispered.

 _"Happy birthday, baby girl."_


	9. Oil Changes and Pie Crusts

**A/N (if you care)**

 **I have no words that can express how sorry I am for my lack of updating. I have had a really rough couple of months between school, looking for a job, a lot of family issues that I won't go into detail with, extra-curricular activities, and for icing on the cake I got into a car accident earlier. I'm fine, I just messed up my front bumper and no one was hurt except a cement pole which was no more than scuffed. In short, life has been quite shitty these past couple of months and my motivation/inspiration to write has just been non-existent. As of now, I can't make any promises of how my updating will play out in the near future, but for now I give you a chapter. Happy Reading and sorry again.**

 **OOOOO**

A couple of days after the town dinner, Ellie found herself walking with Joel to Sadie's house. Since Maria saw it best for Ellie to stay away from Mary and Katelyn after the blow-up with Pete, Ellie asked Sadie if would be alright if she could teach her a thing or two of cars. Sadie said of course and asked Ellie to stop by whenever she was ready to start. At first Ellie wanted to work at the infirmary to learn more efficient first aid, but decided to go with mechanics first. Ellie and Joel spent just about their entire journey walking despite all the cars lying around. Even though a lot were rusted and damaged beyond repair, there were some that could be salvaged. Joel tried to fix a few along the road, but never succeeded. Plus, if Ellie ever crossed Bill's path again, she'd want to one up him somehow.

The thought of Bill made Ellie wonder what he was up to these days. After Tess's death and Joel's departure from Massachusetts, she wondered if he stayed in his town or moved elsewhere. One thing Ellie was sure of was that he was alive. He wasn't the kind who died easily.

Ellie and Joel walked in a comfortable silence, enjoying the sounds of nature filling the air. Birds sang, leaves rustled, insects chirped…it was all so natural and beautiful. June was approaching so the air was warmer than ever with the humidity rising as well as the temperature. Joel had the intention to give Ellie swimming lessons in the very near future once he found a good spot for swimming and gave the weather a bit more time to warm up. After what happened in Salt Lake City, Joel didn't want to take any more chances with her inability to tread water.

When the duo began approaching Sadie's, they saw the brunette working under the hood of the car Joel and Ellie drove to the settlement in. From where he stood, Joel could see her twisting her wrist-probably tightening some bolts in the engine. He could make-out a gray hoodie tied around her waist and a pair of jeans shorts covering her the skin on her legs until the middle of her thighs. Her hair was tied into a messy bun and he could see fly aways sticking out in the sun's rays

"Morning Sadie." Joel greeted as he and Ellie walked up.

Sadie turned her head their direction, a smile forming on her face at the sight of them. She set the wrench in her hands down and grabbed the rag next to her to wipe off her hands. Leaning against the car, she kept smiling as Joel and Ellie approached and stopped a few feet from her.

"Morning yourselves." she greeted. "How are ya?"

"Good." Joel replied before turning his head towards Ellie and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Be good, kiddo. I'll see you at home, alright?"

"Okay Joel." Ellie replied as she looked at him. Even though Sadie seemed really cool and laid back, Ellie was nervous about spending one-on-one time with someone else she didn't know all that well.

He gave her a smile and then looked back at Sadie. "Don't work her too hard, Sade's."

Sadie smiled at Joel's sudden nickname for her. "I won't, Lumberjack."

Joel chuckled and gave Ellie a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before taking off to his own work. Once he was off, Sadie gave Ellie a smile and motioned for the girl to come over to the car. "I just put a new battery in the car, so there's really not much else to do with it. However, I do have to change the oil in two other cars and am going to teach you about common engine problems and easy ways to fix them." Sadie explained. "After that I will teach you how to bake the most amazing grouse berry pie you'll ever taste."

"Grouse berry?" Ellie questioned, not knowing what the hell that was.

"They are sweet berries that are native to Wyoming. They are small, red, and very sweet."

Sadie led her over to the garage where another car- a jeep- was parked inside with the hood up. "Now this is a Jeep Wrangler." Sadie explained to Ellie as she motioned towards the car. "Once you have your oil, you're going to remove the oil cap which is here." Ellie looked to where Sadie pointed and made a mental note of its location. "Go on and take it off while a grab something."

Ellie watched as Sadie went over to a tool box before twisting the cap off and placing it to the side. "So you were a mechanic before this?" Ellie asked.

"Nope. I café owner who made some of the best baked goods in Spokane." Sadie replied as she turned around with a wrench and black plastic tray. "My dad was the mechanic who owned a shop. I helped out in the summers."

"So you bake and fix cars. You must be a hit with the guys." Ellie joked, causing Sadie to laugh.

"Alright now we have to get under the car to drain the excess oil so crawl on under there."

The girls got under the car and Sadie showed Ellie where the oil cap was and how to undo it. Once it was off, Sadie slid the tray underneath it to catch the draining oil.

"So tell me about you Ellie." Sadie said as she and Ellie waited for the oil to drain.

"What do you wanna know?" Ellie asked as she sat up on her forearms a bit.

"Well what was Boston like? I was never there before. Even when I was a Firefly."

Ellie looked at the ground as she thought back to those days. The days of military boarding school, getting into trouble constantly, wondering what was beyond the wall that kept people in and _most_ clickers out. There were a lot of dark memories from the days in Boston, but Ellie didn't want to dwell on those memories. She didn't want to live in the past and remember the bad of the city because it wasn't always bad. Besides, Ellie could see Sadie was just trying to be nice in getting to know her.

"Winters always sucked." Ellie told Sadie as she looked up. "Cold as hell, snow never seemed to end…but the summers were great. I've always preferred the heat over the cold."

"Me too."

"So you knew Marlene?"

Sadie nodded. "She was a family friend growing up. Only eighteen when the outbreak happened. She joined the Fireflies really early and took it over within a few years. We didn't reconnect until I joined."

Hearing a little history of Marlene made Ellie smile. For a long time, Ellie didn't know a lot about Marlene other than her affiliation with the Fireflies. Despite knowing her, Marlene still felt a bit like a stranger to her sometimes despite the relationship that formed between them leading up to both of their departures from Boston.

"Why'd you join the Fireflies?" Ellie asked Sadie.

Ellie couldn't helped but notice Sadie tense up a bit. She watched as Sadie went silent for a few seconds and just watched the last bit of the oil drain from the car before stating they could change the oil filter. Once the Jeep's oil was changed, Ellie and Sadie changed the oil in another car- a Ford Escape is what Sadie called it. Ellie didn't ask why Sade joined the Fireflies again, seeing that the question his some kind of nerve. Ellie didn't know what or why, but she didn't dare tread on the subject again.

After the other cars' oil was changed and Ellie got a lesson in corroded battery cables and defective fuel pumps, Sadie took Ellie inside to show her how to bake the perfect pie crust. Ellie couldn't help but notice how neat the apartment like home was. The living room was small with just the TV and couch, but the kitchen was a little bigger. It was clean as it could possibly be, but Ellie had a feeling it wouldn't be like that if they were baking. Ellie didn't know a lot about baking, but remembered the one cafeteria worker at the school in Boston constantly whining about how much of a mess flour could make.

"I like to consider baking an art, especially pie crusts." Sadie told Ellie as she pulled out ingredients from the cabinets. Ellie leaned against the counter as she took notice of the few ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, a small container with butter, and a dish of red berries that Ellie assumed were grouse berries. After they were out on the counter, Sadie filled a tall glass with water.

"Why pie crusts?" Ellie asked Sadie.

"Because they can be very stubborn. The first time I made one from scratch, it took me two hours and three tries. Even after it was out of the oven, the pie tasted awful. Worst pie in Spokane."

Ellie laughed and watched as Sadie pulled out a bowl and began going through the instructions. As they went through the pie crust making process, Ellie realized that she was actually having fun with Sadie. It felt so relaxing and calming to be doing seemingly normal things. Sadie kept a steady stream of conversation going, asking Ellie questions about herself. Her likes, dislikes, favorite things, least favorite things and Ellie asked all the same things back. The whole interaction felt so natural.

When the pie was finally in the oven, the once spotless kitchen looked as if a flour bomb had gone off.

"You were right." Ellie told Sadie. "Definitely an art. That was harder than learning how to accurately shoot a bow."

Sadie laughed at that as she wiped the counters down with a wet towel. "It took me a while before I mastered crusts. Once you have this down, I'll teach you something easier."

"Where'd you find all the baking stuff anyway?"

"No one was killing each other over flour and sugar when the world ended. Kitchens were still stocked with the stuff when we went into the city. Now whenever I get my rations I put some extra aside to bake with since it's something I've always enjoyed doing."

Once Ellie and Sadie had finished cleaning the kitchen, they sat down and in the living room with glasses of water while they waited for the pie to be done in the oven. Ellie looked around the room and saw the variety of movies she had stacked on a shelf by the television. "I have a question." Ellie said.

"Shoot." Sadie replied.

"What are your thoughts on movies killing the main character?"

 **OOOOO**

On the other side of town, Joel had finished working earlier since the construction crew finished the house they were working on. Jake had let the guys off early and said he'd let them know about any other projects after he talked to Tommy and Maria. "Until then take a day or two off." he told them before they left.

After being let go for the day, Joel decided to visit his baby brother at his house before checking in on Ellie. He trusted that Sadie would watch over her just fine, but being separated from Ellie for so long still got to Joel a little. Not being able to be there for her right away if she needed anything got to him more than anything. He spent so long watching out for her, not having her a mere few feet away from him caused him worry.

Tommy was just leaving when Joel arrived at his brother's house. "Hey Joel." Tommy said as he walked down his porch steps. "What's up?'"

"Just dropping by."

"Well sorry to take-off, but I gotta go handle something."

"Everything alright?"

"Looks like those bandits you and Sadie bumped into the other day are scouting. Some guys at the dam saw them lurking around and the lookouts in the woods found some tracks. Gotta go talk with my militia and see what we can do."

"You know, Tommy, if you need any help-"

"You'll be the first person I come to, but I don't wanna jump the gun and worry until there's something to really worry about."

"Alright."

"I'll keep you posted brother."

"Later Tommy."

Tommy took off after that and Joel began walking towards Sadie's place. The mention of the bandits stirred worry in Joel, but he trusted that Tommy would handle the situation effectively. He trusted Tommy's judgement and knew he would do whatever it would take to keep the community safe. Worry aside, he was able to keep the bad thoughts and possible outcomes from polluting his mind. So far it has been a good day and he wanted to keep it that way. But that didn't mean he wouldn't do whatever it took to keep his brother safe, his sister in law safe, this community safe, and especially keep Ellie safe.

When Joel was in eyesight of Sadie's place, he heard a feminine voice call out his name. Turning around, he saw Esther approach him. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was in a pair of tight jeans and gray tank top. "Hey stranger." she greeted as she walked up to him. "What brings you to this part of town?"

"Going to Sadie's. You live over here?" Joel asked as he gave her his attention.

"Just a few houses down yeah. How are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Good. Just wanted to say hey and extend an invitation for a drink sometime at my place. If you were interested."

The invitation took Joel by surprise. He had a hunch that Esther had an interest in him after the town dinner when they danced, but didn't expect such forwardness from her. He smiled and scratched the back of his head in a bit of nervousness. He hasn't been with anyone in a long time. Let alone something where it could be classified as stable, serious, or both.

"Don't feel obligated to answer, I just wanted to like I said, extend the invitation." Esther told him before giving him a sweet smile and walking off. Joel just shook his head and turned around to head to Sadie's. There was no doubt that Esther was attractive and seemed to offer more than just her looks if she kept the food growing and animals healthy for the community. Maybe Joel would take her up on that drink.

When Joel walked up to Sadie's door, he could hear the laughter of the two girls inside before he knocked. He smiled at the sound and tapped on the door, earning a "Come in!" from inside. He entered Sadie's house and found her and Ellie in the kitchen cutting into a pie.

"I thought you were supposed to teaching her about cars." Joel said to Sadie as he walked in with a smile.

"I did. She now knows how to change the oil in two different cars and can identify corroded battery cables and defective fuel pumps as well as prepare a perfect pie crust." Sadie defended with a chuckle as she set a slice of delicious looking pie on a plate. "Would you like to stay for a piece?"

"I'd love to."

Joel walked over to where Ellie stood with Sadie at the counter and placed a hand on the top of her head and messed up her hair. "Good day, kiddo?" he asked.

"Really good day." Ellie replied. "Thanks for fucking up my hair."

Joel chuckled as he looked up at Sadie who let out a laugh as well. The three of them stood around the counter and ate the pie Sadie and Ellie baked together while they talked about their days. About ten minutes after Joel arrived, the door opened and Zach came walking in. The three of them looked at him when he entered, a look of surprise on his face from the two unfamiliar faces in his kitchen. His face was fully healed from the fight he got into when Joel and Ellie first arrived and for the first time Ellie noticed he was actually quite good looking. Strong jaw, blonde hair, and hazel eyes. She remembered Joel mentioning Sadie took him in when he was a kid.

"Want some pie?" Sadie asked as she cut another slice. "It's your favorite."

"You're tempting me with pie?" Zach asked.

"Is it working?"

Joel didn't miss the small smile appear on Zach's face. "Yes."

Zach came over and took the pie from Sadie with a thank you before leaning against the counter next to Sadie.

"This is Joel and Ellie. Tommy's brother." Sadie introduced the duo to Zach.

"Nice to meet you." Zach said politely before taking a bite of pie.

"Nice to meet you, too." Joel replied.

Sadie went on to keep the conversation going, Zach staying quiet as he ate and watched his guardian and guests interact. He didn't do great with strangers, so he didn't do much talking, but there were two things that caught his eye with Ellie. The first thing was the scar on her eyebrow because it was the first thing he noticed when he saw her. The second things was the scar he saw on her right arm.


	10. Not Alone

**SUMMER**

Summer rain. Smells heavenly in a candle, but causes a real mess in the countryside. Muddy ground, huge puddles, and damp air-all effects of such a beautiful force of nature. Jackson County was currently experiencing its first serious summer rain fall. Water was pouring from dark gray clouds, halting all construction and outdoor work and activities. Joel and Ellie managed to pass the morning by sleeping in for a bit and making a late breakfast to dine on while watching some movies. When two o'clock rolled around the rain began to lighten up so Joel decided to take a walk while he could.

"I'll be here." Ellie called to him from the couch while she stayed glue to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Joel chuckled as he put his hood up and opened the door.

Joel stepped outside and the sound of rain falling and hitting leaves filled his eardrums. He always loved rain. Not thunder though. Thunder scared the shit out of him. He remembered seeking refuge under his sheets and pillows when there were thunderstorms while Sarah slept like a rock through them. But the soft sounds of rain like this were so peaceful and calming.

The ground was muddy as all hell as he trudged through the messy ground, avoiding puddles to his best ability. He walked along the fence, looking out the woods for any signs of bandits or infected. No clicking sounds interrupted the rain fall and he doubted anyone would be out in this kind of weather- before the rain fall let up a bit, visibility wasn't all that great. However, since the incident with the bandits on the run with Sadie he'd been on pretty high alert.

"Walking in the rain I see?" a feminine voice said from behind.

Turning around, Joel found Esther walking up. She had a raincoat on with the hood up to cover her dark locks and long jeans to protect her skin from the cold rain. Joel offered her a smile and stopped walking so she could meet him where he stood. "Had to get out of the house." he told her. "What's your excuse?"

"Maria asked me to stop by and look at one of the horses. My skills extend farther than crop expertise." Esther explained as she stopped in front of Joel.

"So you're a vet, too?" Joel questioned.

"Oh god no. Too much schooling for me, but growing up on a farm teaches you a thing or two."

Joel smiled and so did Esther. He couldn't deny her pretty face and charming personality and so many things were telling Joel to go for it, take a risk with a captivating woman, but something else told him that maybe she wasn't for him. Maybe it was his desire to focus on just him and Ellie like he has for so long, maybe it was not wanting to go through any more possible pain, or maybe something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. Despite all this, he wanted to take this risk.

"Wanna continue this conversation indoors?" Esther suggested. Joel nodded and the two made their way to her home.

 **OOOOO**

Back at his own home. Ellie decided to wash the dishes from her and Joel's late breakfast after the credits rolled from the second installment of Indiana Jones. After she finished that, she took a second to look out the window and observe the current weather situation. The rain was beginning to lighten, but the clouds had yet to part which meant more rain was most likely coming their way. Not that Ellie minded, she liked the rain.

A knock on the door broke Ellie's thoughts and put her attention elsewhere. She dried off her hands and left the kitchen, approaching the door carefully. The only people that have stopped by since she and Joel arrived were Tommy, Maria, Sadie, and Joel's boss Jake.

"Who is it?" Ellie asked from behind the door.

"It's Zach."

Ellie looked at the door in confusion. Zach? They have exchanged three words max and that was in Sadie's kitchen a few days ago. Still, she knew Zach was harmless and unlocked the door to him standing on the deck. He was in dark jeans, a gray hoodie, and a hat protecting his hair from the rain.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I hope so." he told her with a desperate shine in his irises. "Can I come in?"

Ellie thought for a second. On one hand, she didn't really know Zach and Joel wasn't home either. But this was Sadie's Zach. Plus if anything happened, Ellie could handle it.

"Sure." Ellie said as she opened the door more to let him in.

He stepped off the deck and through the doorway, wiping his feet on the carpet before walking on the hardwood. Ellie closed and locked the door, walking into the living room and clicking the television off. Turning around, she watched Zach step into the doorway to the living room and stop in the doorway to put distance between them.

"What can I do for you?" she asked him.

"That scar on your arm." Zach began, making Ellie instantly freeze and place a hand where a runner sunk its teeth almost a full year ago. Even though she had a long sleeved shirt on, it felt as if her whole arm was exposed to the bitter cold. "How'd you get it?"

"Why?" Ellie instantly asked defensively.

"Was it from infected?"

Ellie didn't say anything. What was she supposed to say? If she said yes, what would Zach do? The only people who knew Ellie was immune and believed it was Joel, Tommy, Maria, Sadie, and Marlene and her crew. And by the way Zach was talking, Sadie hadn't told him the history of her and Joel. If she denied the bite was from infected, would he believe her?

Zach took a step closer. " _Was it from infected_?" he asked again in a much more demanding tone. Ellie stood taller and much more defensively, wishing she still had her switchblade on her. "What's it to you?" she snapped.

Dropping his head, Zach let out a defeated sigh. With a deep breath he picked his head up and turned around while pulling up his hoodie, revealing a bite mark scar below his shoulder blade. Ellie felt her eyes glue to the mark in shock. It was a bit bigger than hers, but it had the same look. It was clear where the teeth sunk it and ripped skin away, leaving an ugly scar. It had some redness around it and bumps where there was minor blistering.

"Oh my God." Ellie said through a small gasp, causing Zach to put his hoodie back on right and turn around.

"Is yours from infected, too?" Zach asked in a desperate tone in hopes he didn't just reveal something he shouldn't have.

Ellie nodded. "When were you…?"

"Three months ago. I was on a run and the group got swarmed." Zach explained as he sat on the couch with his eyes glued to the floor. "I was trying to help someone and the thing came out of nowhere and sinks its teeth in my back." Ellie didn't move from where she stood as he continued. "After that everyone got scattered and when I got away from the chaos I was out of bullets. Frankly even if I had one to spare I don't think I could have done it. I was just gonna let it happen…but when it didn't I didn't know what to think. I decided to come back, but…I've had this fear that I'll turn at any second…and the last thing I want is to hurt anyone here _**especially**_ Sadie."

Then it all clicked. Joel told Ellie about Zach's behavior and so did Sadie the other day; the disappearing, the anger, the distance…he was afraid. Ellie walked over and sat next to him on the couch. "I got bit almost a year ago." she told him, causing him to look at her. "I was somewhere I shouldn't have been and…" she rolled up her sleeve to show him her bite. "V'walla."

Zach looked at the bite and then at her. "Joel and I went from Boston all the way to Utah with hopes that the Fireflies could make a cure with whatever made me immune…they couldn't. Quite frankly I was hoping to hear what made me immune, but Joel told me that the doctors in Utah said there were others who were immune, like us."

"I have a theory." Zach told her.

"Of how we're immune?"

Zach nodded. "Have you ever heard of the Black Death?"

Ellie nodded. She remembered learning about it in school.

"That plague happened in the 1300s Europe when there was barely any medical advancements like vaccines. Nevertheless, it just disappeared after some time. Millions of people died it did have a couple of reoccurrences happened, but even they stopped in like the 1600s and a lot less people died. Same with the 1918 flu epidemic. Millions died again and medicine was still not all that advanced, but the flu eventually died down and less people got sick for the same reason. Why? Because people built up an immunity to it and were able to fight it off better. I think that is why we're immune. The younger generations are building up an immunity to the Cordyceps virus."

Ellie sat back at everything Zach had just said. So far she knew two people in the entire world who were immune for sure. She and Zach. But they were two people in the whole world. People could be immune and not even know it. He made some valid arguments, but it seemed like a longshot. Cordyceps grew all over the brain. This wasn't just an aggressive flu strain. Then again, she didn't know the reasoning behind her immunity. Did she have something in her brain that made her immune?

"Does Sadie know?" Ellie asked Zach who shook his head. "I didn't want her to worry." he told her. "And I wouldn't know how to tell her at this point."

"Maybe we should keep this conversation between you and me for now, but you should tell Sadie some time."

"Why?"

"She deserves to know what's going on with you."

Zach leaned back and let out an annoyed breath. "You're right, but not yet…you won't tell anyone, right?"

Ellie was about to say she wouldn't, but then remembered Joel. Could she keep this kind of secret from him? Then she remembered it wasn't her secret; it was Zach's. And she couldn't be responsible for revealing that.

"I promise won't tell anyone." Ellie swore.

"Thank you."

He left after that, heading back home through the rain while Ellie popped in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with one thought in her head. _She wasn't alone anymore with this_

 **OOOOO**

Across the settlement, Joel was putting his coat back on after sharing a cup of coffee with Esther. He learned that she grew up in Georgia with her brother, who lived next door, and her mom and dad as well as five dogs and plenty of farm animals. She loved green tea, reading fantasy novels, and enjoyed hikes even nowadays and couldn't stand the taste of cinnamon or tomatoes, the color pastel pink, or smell of cooked cabbage. Joel revealed his love of coffee and music, admiration of classic country singers, and hate for romance movies and/or books. He learned about the woman and she learned a bit about him, making the time escape both of them.

"I should be getting back to Ellie." he told her which she understood.

"Thanks for coming over." she said as she walked him to the door. "I'd walk you home, but well…rain."

Joel chuckled. "That's quite alright, I can find my way back. Thanks for the coffee, Esther."

"Don't mention it, Joel. We should do this again sometime." she replied hopefully.

Joel turned towards her before reaching for the door handle. "Look Esther, I ain't had anything like this in a long time so-"

Before Joel could finish his sentence, Esther reached out and placed a hand on is face before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. Joel froze for a second at the feeling he hasn't felt in what seems a hundred lifetimes. But as if something sparked remembrance in his body, his arms wrapped around her lower back after a few seconds as he kissed the hazel eyed beauty.

 **OOOOO**

 **A/N**

Long gap between updates I know, but bear with me a little longer. Summer is approaching and after I take my SAT and some finals in May, I'm back to writing as often as I can. Also, any SAT advice?


	11. Blooming Relationships

Ellie sat at the base of a tree as Zach climbed up it, opening and closing her switchblade. The day of Zach's confession also marked the day that a friendship began for the two. Only a couple of days have passed, but the duo have spent those days in each other's company. Ellie revealed the details of the day she was bitten and Zach revealed how he spent the days during the time after he was bitten. "I found this old abandoned house after running for what seemed like forever." he told her. "I locked myself in the one bedroom and just waited. I didn't sleep or eat, I just sat on the bed and waited. All I wanted while I was sitting there was Sadie. She's been like a mom to me pretty much my whole life and she was the only face I needed to see. When nothing happened, I cleaned the wound and made my way back home. But I have had this fear that I'll turn one day and attack someone."

Now here they were a few days later hanging out by the edge of the settlement after a day of work. Ellie took a shine to Sadie and has been helping her fix and tune up some of the cars while Zach carried on with his work at the infirmary. Then after each of their days ended, they spent some time hanging out around the settlement, something both Joel and Sadie were happy to see. Zach was returning to normal and Ellie made a friend making Joel and Sadie happy guardians.

"I wonder how Mary is doing." Ellie said to herself as she stood up and Zach descended the tree.

"Pete's stepdaughter?"

"Yeah. We were sort of friends and then I wasn't allowed to see her anymore."

"Take it Pete was to thank for that one."

Ellie looked at Zach as he took a place in front of her.

"How'd you figure that?"

"Guy's an asshole. Doesn't take a rocket scientist."

Zach had a bit of a history with Pete, the rude man meeting Zach's fist after he said some not so nice things to Sadie a while back. The teenage boy still smirked over the fact that when they got home from the incident, Sadie hugged him and thanked him for sticking up for her. Even though Zach said it was their jobs to look after one another, she baked him thank you cookies.

Ellie laughed. She's been tempted to go over to Mary's house and check in, but she didn't want to risk another episode involving Pete. She didn't need want to cause any issues for herself, Joel, or Tommy and Maria. So Ellie decided the best play she could make was to steer clear from Mary and her sister. Besides, now she had Zach to spend time with and frankly-she preferred his presence.

"Come on." Zach said as he began walking off. "I'll walk you home. Should be heading back-sun's setting."

Ellie simply nodded and caught up to him. "Hey so I never asked, you into comics at all?" she asked.

The two headed back towards Ellie and Joel's house, the two discussing the Savage Starlight series when Ellie's porch came into view where Joel stood with Esther-the two standing rather close. Ellie stopped and pulled Zach out of sight which happened to be behind another house. "Okay why are we hiding?" Zach asked Ellie who was looking at Joel and Esther interact on the porch.

"Shut your face for a second." Ellie snapped at him as she watched the porch.

Joel stood with his hands in his pockets as Esther stood with her arms crossed. "Thanks for stopping over." Joel told her. "Always a pleasure seeing you."

"Same to you. Too bad I missed Ellie. Would love to formerly meet her." Esther replied.

"I'm sure she'd like to meet you, too."

"Have you told her?"

Joel bit his tongue. He planned on telling Ellie as soon as he realized he and Esther was something to tell, but he didn't know how. He didn't realize how much he valued Ellie's opinion and approval until he was considering bringing someone else into their lives. He remembered the occasion he brought home a girl to meet Sarah and the second the girl left, Sarah voiced her dislike. After that, there wasn't another date with the girl. If Ellie didn't like Esther, Joel didn't know what he'd do.

"I will. Just been waiting for the right time."

Esther smiled and put her arms around Joel's neck, causing him to place his hands on her waist. "Well let me know when you do. But there's no rush, I understand the situation. See you later?" Joel smiled and nodded. Ether leaned up and pressed a kiss to his mouth, a kiss Joel returned welcomingly. Her lips were soft and inviting, but he knew Ellie would be getting home soon so he cut it short.

"See you tomorrow, yeah?" he asked.

Esther simply nodded and kissed his cheek once more before leaving the porch.

Ellie couldn't believe what she saw, causing her to slide down to the ground. "You alright?" Zach asked.

"He didn't tell me." she said. She wasn't mad that he was with Esther, in fact she was happy he found someone, but she was annoyed at the fact that he hadn't told her yet. Why was he keeping it from her? She didn't know Esther, the two of them hadn't exchanged a word, but by the looks of it she made Joel happy. And that's all should have mattered, right? If he was happy, she should be happy.

"I'm sure he's just waiting for the right time." Zach told her as he took a seat next to her.

"But if he's happy, shouldn't that be all that matters?"

"No." Zach answered plainly. "Because he cares about you. That much is clear and he doesn't want to bring just anyone into your life. He wants to make sure they are worthy of knowing you and having a part in your life, too."

Ellie played with the hem of her shirt. "Still not used to that kind of the thing."

"People caring?"

Ellie simply nodded before she stood up. "But that's a conversation for tomorrow though."

Zach stood up and Ellie bid him goodbye, telling him she'd see him tomorrow as she rushed to her house. Turning around, Zach headed in the direction of his home where Sadie was most likely setting the table for dinner.

Walking in his front door, the smell of chicken hit Zach in the face making him smile. "Damn that smells good." he said when he saw Sadie plating their food. Stew chicken over rice and beans…one of his favorites.

"Better. Chicken has been marinating for a day." Sadie replied as Zach walked over and sat down at the kitchen counter. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good. Not many patients, only that Mary girl with the busted wrist and a woman with the stomach flu. Mainly just organized the supplies and did pill counts."

"Well minimal patients should be a good thing." Sadie set down a plate of food in front of him as she sat down with a plate of her own. "Which reminds me I have a water run with Tommy coming up soon so you'll be on your own for a couple of days."

"Can't I come?" Zach pressed as he put some chicken on his fork.

A sigh escaped Sadie's lips. He's brought up returning outside the fence a few times in the last couple of weeks and she knew she couldn't avoid a solid answer any longer. "Zach after what happened-"

"I'll be fine and with you and Tommy."

"You were with an entire group when you went out."

"But-"

"Zach." Sadie said in a sharper tone. She didn't know what she'd do if she came that close to losing him again. When he didn't come back, she was grieving so much she had to stay with Tommy and Maria. She couldn't sleep or eat, feeling as if another piece of her died with Zach. Then when he walked through the front gates alive and well, she thought she was seeing a ghost until he spoke her name. She had never hugged someone so tight in her life. In the first week or two after he returned she refused to be away from him, having him work in the garage with her and not going anywhere without him. Eventually, she loosened the reins as long he was within the fence and hasn't let him set foot outside since.

"Are you just going to keep me cooped up here forever? It's been months." Zach said, his tone more agitated.

"Do you have any idea what it was like when I thought I'd lost you?" Sadie snapped. "I have raised you since you were seven. For the last ten years, you've been in my life for every single day and when I thought you were gone forever I didn't know how I was going to get through it."

Zach fell silent as he let Sadie yell. "I love you more than anything else in this world. I'm not saying you'll never see the outside of the fence again, but I need to see that you're ready myself. I need to know you'll be alright without me there. That is the end of this discussion."

The two ate in silence for a while after that, seeing that Zach really upset Sadie. He watched as she had a conversation with herself in her head about the topic she put to rest. He knew better that to bring it up again, as it would only upset her more. He could apologize, but knew it wouldn't help anything. He knew why she was so hesitant to let him, the reason more than the one she mentioned, but he had enough common sense not to mention it whatsoever. He loved her like a mother and he had to respect her wishes. So for now, the issue was at rest.

"I really like Ellie." he eventually said. "She and I get along really well. And she likes comics and always has these really corny jokes."

Sadie smiled as she got some food on her fork. "She's a very sweet girl. I'm glad you two are friends."

"Me too. She got a little upset tonight though."

"What for?"

"She saw Joel with Esther and didn't know the two were getting to be more than friends."

The sentence caused Sadie to look up. "What?"

"Yeah the two were lip locked on Joel and Ellie's porch when we got there."

Sadie's stomach dropped to the floor and her appetite vanished in an instant. Setting her fork down, she wiped her mouth with her napkin before standing. "I'm gonna clean up." she said quietly. Zach stopped her and told her he would, confused by the sudden change of attitude. "Why don't you go to bed? I got it."

"Thanks kiddo." Sadie said, kissing his head and then heading to her room.

Zach washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and when he was done, he poked his head into Sadie's room where she was fast asleep under the sheets. He instantly felt guilty about upsetting her earlier. Closing the door quietly, he retreated back to his own bedroom for the night. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, but before he did, he realized something when he thought back to his conversation with Ellie earlier.

Sadie had not once in the time he's lived under her roof bring anyone home to meet him.


	12. Right Hook

Ellie sat at the kitchen counter, eating her scrambled eggs and sausage while Joel ate across from her while looking over the plans for the next construction assignment. The crew was done building houses, as the settlement had more than enough living spaces for the families already living there and for a few more if any came in. Now they were going to work on building another pantry space for all the rations and a separate space for extra supplies by the hall.

Ever since Ellie got home the night before, she's been hoping Joel would tell her about him and Esther but he never did. Not when she got home, not over dinner, not when he said goodnight, and now not at breakfast. Figuring he wouldn't be saying anything, Ellie just ate her breakfast while Joel looked at his blueprints.

A knock at the door broke Joel away from his blueprints and Ellie from her eggs. "I'll get it, kiddo." Joel told Ellie as he stood up. "I'll get it."

Joel went over to the door, unlocking and opening it up to find Sadie standing on the porch. Her hair was down and rested on her shoulders in waves, her gray t-shirt accenting her eyes that lit up when she smiled. "Morning." she greeted, standing with her hands behind her back.

"Hey Sadie." Joel greeted with a warm smile, always happy to see her. "What's up?"

"I had to see Tommy this morning and before I left my house I found something un my kitchen cabinet that you may enjoy."

Before Joel could respond, Sadie moved her hands from behind her back to reveal a familiar blue container with a tan lid. "It's a dark roast." she told him. "I remember you saying at the town dinner how much you missed coffee and well, I think it's a sacrifice I can make."

Joel's eyes widened the second he saw the container followed by a smile. Sadie held the container out to him. "It's all yours." Reaching out, Joel took it from her gratefully as he read the label he read once so many years ago. He's had a couple cups of coffee since he got to the settlement with Esther, but he hasn't had his own grounds to brew "Sadie…" he said as he looked up at her. "Thank you so much, but I'm not even sure if I have a coffee maker."

"Yeah you do." she told him. "Tommy put one in when he put the house together for you. It should be in one of the kitchen cabinets."

"I haven't been through all of them, must of missed it."

"Well enjoy."

Sadie turned to leave, but Joel stopped her. "Wait a sec." he said, making her turn back around. "Think I could convince you into having a cup with me and Ellie?"

A smile appeared on Sadie's face, a sight that never got old. "Won't take much convincing." she replied. Joel stepped out of the way to let her in and the two rejoined Ellie in the kitchen. "Hey Ellie." Sadie greeted as she took a seat next to the teenager while Joel found a coffee pot in the cabinet under the sink. He plugged it in and got it set up to make a pot of coffee while he listened to the conversation between Ellie and Sadie.

"What are we working on today?" Ellie asked.

"Honestly with all your help, all the cars are fixed and tuned up as best as they can be." Sadie told her. "All the oil and tires are changed, they all have gas, headlights are fixed, batteries are charged, and we put new radiator hoses in…there isn't much left to do in terms of cars. But I'll figure out some more things you can help me out with when I get back."

"Back?"

This caught Joel's attention, causing him to sit down with the two at the counter while the coffee brewed. "Oh I'm sorry I didn't mention it before." Sadie apologized. "Tommy and I go on a water run once a month that's a two and a half day deal."

"Water run?" Joel asked.

"Yeah. The settlement gets its water from the river you two followed to the plant back in the fall, but when you follow it up the mountain it leads to a small freshwater spring. We drive up on the trails and gather a few barrels to add to the surplus supply in case something goes wrong at the plant."

Before Joel could ask anything else the coffee maker sounded, signaling it was done. Joel stood up and grabbed two coffee mugs, asking Sadie how she took her coffee. "Just milk and sugar." Joel set down the mugs on the counter before getting the milk and sugar that he also added to his own cup of Joe.

Ellie watched as Joel and Sadie added equal amounts of milk and sugar to their coffees, making her raise an eyebrow. "So when are you leaving?" Joel asked Sadie as they waited for their coffee to cool down a bit.

"That's what I am going to talk to Tommy about this morning. Hopefully within the next few days before it rains again. The trails aren't fun in the rain."

Sadie and Joel then sipped at their coffee, changing the subject to other things such as baking and construction. It was a comfortable morning, the whole thing feeling natural. They sat at the counter with and Ellie and enjoyed one and then a second cup of coffee before they all had to start their days. Joel had to go start the new construction projects and Sadie had to go to Tommy and Maria's which Ellie tagged along on to see if she could return to the stables for couple of days. After the three cleaned up the kitchen from, they all left the house in different directions.

Although it was only a little after nine, the weather was already warming up significantly with summer kicking as it went farther into June. The sky was blue with barely any clouds and a soft breeze that assisted in cooling down the heat. On the way to Tommy's, Sadie could tell something was on Ellie's mind. She had a hunch it had to do with what Zach told her last night. She knew Ellie was in a weird position. She wasn't Joel's own, but she was important to him. As important as Tommy and Maria. Joel possibly bringing someone into her life was a big, complicated step and something Ellie never had to deal with before.

"What's on your mind, Ellie?" Sadie asked.

Looking at her, Ellie knew she knew. "Zach told you."

"Yeah."

Letting out a breath, Ellie shoved her hands in her pockets. "I just don't get why he won't tell me if he's happy with her."

"He wants to make sure he's bringing the right kind of person into your life. I get where he's coming from there."

"Really? How's that?"

"Um…" Sadie sounded followed by a pause. "I just know how much he cares about you and so would anyone who saw you two with one another."

From that moment until they arrived at Tommy's, Ellie could tell a nerve was struck in Sadie since she was a bit quieter. She couldn't tell what, but something was bugging her. Before she could ask what it was, they stepped onto Tommy and Maria's porch. Sadie knocked on the door and it opened moments later revealing Tommy. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a hand towel draped over his shoulder. "Hey bud." Sadie said. "Ready to talk water run?"

"Sadie I think we're gonna have to figure something else out on the run." he told her. "Maria's got a stomach bug. She has a fever, is throwing up, and I can't leave her right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do to help?" Sadie offered.

"See if there's anyone who can go with you in my place. I have a feeling more rain is coming and I'd really like to get a few more barrels in the surplus."

"Alright, let me know if Maria needs anything."

"Will do, thanks Sades."

After that, Ellie and Sadie left the porch and started walking again. "Well how about we go up to the stable. Check on the horses you've been dying to see again."

"But what about Mary and Katelyn? If Pete found out-"

"Oh forget Pete. If he gives you any shit, he'll have me to deal with. Now you've seen me in my mechanical element, now let me see you in yours with some horses."

Ellie smiled and the two went up to the stables where Ellie smiled at the sight of some of the horses. Lucy and Ashes were out enjoying the warm sun with two other horses. "I'll hang by the fence. I'll watch ya ride."

"Alright." Ellie replied as she rushed over to the stable happily. She walked into the fenced in area and brought Luna, an all-black horse, in to get a saddle on her. Going through the motions, she brushed Luna first before placing the pad on her back followed by the saddle. She tightened the straps and then attached the reins to the bridle. As she did this, it made her think about Winston. She missed him and remembered how sad she was when she found out about his passing. But she found comfort in the fact that he didn't get torn apart by clickers or shot down by bandits, he died a natural death.

Once Luna was saddled, Ellie got on and rode her out to the field. Sadie smiled at the sight of Ellie riding, seeing as how she immediately lit up while riding the horse. Ellie led the horse around the fenced in yard, easily navigating the animal around. It warmed Sadie's heart to see the young girl smiling and having such a good time. The weather was nice, she was riding, and Sadie enjoyed watching from the side. For a minute, it felt as if the world was normal. Unfortunately the moment was short lived when a familiar voice sounded.

"What the hell is this?"

Pete.

Turning around, Sadie found Pete walking her direction with Mary and Katelyn following behind him, Mary's arm still in a sling with her injured wrist. Ellie saw Pete approach as she rode, making her slow down as she watched Sadie confront Pete.

"Girls go in the stable." he told his stepdaughters.

"But Pete-" Mary began.

"Now!"

Mary and Katelyn rushed into the stable so their stepfather was out of sight as he made yet another scene.

"I thought I made myself clear I don't want that girl around my girls." Pete snapped at Sadie.

"That girl's name is Ellie and she is not at fault for what happened to Mary." Sadie defended.

"But she is not the kind of person I want around her or Katelyn."

"I don't understand how you can defend that when you are being the most immature in this whole situation. Ellie was defending Maria while you screamed at her in the middle of town while right after sticking by your stepdaughter's side after she was thrown by a horse."

"This doesn't even concern you Sadie so why the hell are you even involved in this?" Pete yelled, getting angrier by the second.

"Because I am defending a young girl you are being a complete and utter asshole too." Sadie too was getting angrier with Pete, frustrated with the man who was being so unnecessarily horrible to a young girl.

Pete didn't say anything, but gave Sadie the coldest look he could manage. "Just leave Sadie, last time I checked the girl doesn't work here."

"And the last time I checked this wasn't your stable. Maria runs it and I know for a fact she wouldn't mind Ellie riding for a little while."

Sadie went to turn around, but felt Pete's hand grab her arm. Without a second thought, she made quick work of turning around and sending her fist across Pete's face. He went down with a single punch, clutching the side of his face where Sadie hit him. She turned back around and motioned towards Ellie.

"Ellie I think it's best if we left."

Not having to be told, Ellie got down off of Luna and rushed over to the fence, climbing over it and joining Sadie on the other side. The two took off from the stable in a run to flee the scene. "Sorry I cut your ride short." Sadie apologized.

"Are you kidding?" Ellie questioned. "That was badass. You got to do what I wanted to."

Sadie led Ellie back into town where the slowed down into a walk. "Alright just be cool and don't act like I just punched a guy in the face." Ellie laughed and the two made their way over to Sadie's house.

 **OOOOO**

Joel was across town working with the construction crew starting the new pantry unit and supply house. The crew was split in half, one group working on the pantry while the others worked on the other project. Joel was helping frame the pantry unit while talking with the other guys. Although it was barely noon, the weather was already in the eighties making most of the construction crew ditch their flannels and opted for just jeans and tank tops. Even Joel shed his usual flannel from the combination of manual labor and heat like the other guys since the concern of getting bit by infected wasn't around within the fence.

"So my wife told me you and Esther are getting friendly." Evan told Joel. Evan was what Joel would consider a friend out of all the construction guys. Sure they all talked and got along, but Joel was cautious of who he put his stock into. He trusted Sadie not long after meeting her and of course he trusted his brother and sister in law, but now he was meeting more and more people. They were good people, but the survivor of the last twenty years was still there. He wasn't about to trust every face he saw. But Evan was definitely a trustworthy person.

"Did she now?" Joel questioned as he hammered. "Even after the world ends women still love their gossip."

"Of course. And Esther is a friend of the Mrs. who knows you work with me so, well you know how it goes."

"Yeah. But uh, yeah me and Esther are getting to know each other. Slowly."

"Well she's a heck of a woman. Hope it all works out for you two."

"Thanks."

Joel and Evan continued working when Joel saw a familiar face walk by. Pete. Joel stopped what he was doing to see him walk by with a purpling bruise on the side of his face. "Damn." Evan said as he saw what caused Joel to stop working for a second. "Wonder what the other guy looks like."

Pete turned and caught sight of Joel, causing him to change course and walk towards him. "Here we go." Joel muttered as he set his hammer down. "Gotta bone with this guy?" Evan asked.

"Little bit."

Pete walked past all the other construction guys and straight to Joel who stood his ground while Evan stood by incase he was needed.

"I thought I made it clear I didn't want your kid near mine." Pete snapped. "And now you're having Sadie come to her aid what is she your little girlfriend now?"

"Let me stop you right there." Joel immediately snapped. "You leave Sadie out of this. By the looks of it, my guess, she's the one I can thank for giving you that nice, fresh bruise on your face. I also thought I made myself clear about how I'd handle you again if you came up acting like this."

"Pete." Evan said as he stepped in. "Walk away."

Pete looked at Evan and then back at Joel. "This ain't over." he said before storming off. Joel let out a breath before turning to Evan. "You mind if I go check on Ellie?" he asked. "I won't be long."

"Of course, go on. Take your time." Evan insisted.

"Thanks man."

Joel took off towards his house, only to find it empty which meant they were most likely at Sadie's house. He headed that way, his worry taking over. He knew if Ellie was with Sadie, she would be safe. Sadie wouldn't let anything happen to her, but that doesn't mean Pete didn't get to her with just words. As tough as Ellie was, she was still just a fifteen year old girl.

When he got to Sadie's he found Sadie walking out of the garage below her house. "Hey she greeted as he walked up, trying to ignore the fact that he was out of his flannel and only in a muscle shirt. It annoyed the living hell out of her how nervous he made her feel sometimes.

"Hey are you alright?" he asked immediately, setting his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her. Based on Pete's behavior, Joel doubt he'd hold back when confronting Sadie either. "Yeah I'm fine." she told him. "Why?"

"Pete stopped by the work site." he explained as he dropped his hands. "Wanted to make sure you and Ellie were alright."

"Yeah we're fine she's upstairs in the kitchen. Look I'm sorry about this mess. I probably didn't help the whole Pete situation by punching him."

Joel shook his head. "No don't you dare apologize. If you wouldn't have done it I would have."

Sadie smiled. "Thank you." he said. "For what you did for Ellie. It's…comforting knowing you look out for her."

"Ellie's a great kid. Hell I adore her. She's great to have around."

Joel smiled when Sadie's knuckles caught his eye. The middle two were a bit bruised and split. "Ouch." he said as he reached for her hand and held it to look at. "You sure do pack a punch."

"Good thing we get along then." Sadie joked.

The two chuckled as Joel released her hand. "Ellie's upstairs. Why don't we head up?" Sadie suggested. Joel simply nodded followed Sadie upstairs to the house. Inside the house, Ellie saw the two's interaction from the window and smiled at the sight.


	13. See You In A Few

Joel walked through town after a long day of hard work under the summer sun, eager to get a shower and enjoy a meal with Ellie _and_ Esther. He invited her over finally to formally introduce her to Ellie so the girls could officially get acquainted. It was just after five which gave him just shy under two hours to get cleaned up and make dinner. He decided to keep it simple, choosing to make chicken (one of Ellie's favorites) along with green beans and potatoes. A huge part of him was nervous for the impending evening, scared that Ellie and Esther wouldn't get along right off the bat for whatever reason. He wanted them to, hopeful that this would be the beginning of something great, but knew better than to have expectations that reached the sky. Something could always go wrong.

On the way through the town, the familiar noise of a piano caught his attention that came from the hall. He wandered over, recognizing the tune as a Paul Simon song. Even through the walls, Joel could immediately recognize the voice singing the lyrics. Sadie. Her voice was one of a kind and one of the most melodic and beautiful he's ever heard making it completely unique. Peeking through the window, he saw her playing the piano on the stage at the far end of the building with her back to him. He quietly stepped inside to listen to the music.

 _"Slip slidin' away_

 _Slip slidin' away_

 _You know the nearer your destination_

 _The more you're slip slidin' away"_

He couldn't help but smile, the song being one of his favorites from the classics list he had at home so long ago and hearing it performed so exquisitely. The keys were played perfectly and her voice was on key, not breaking or scratchy, but just clear and soft.

 _I know a father_

 _He had a son_

 _He longed to tell him all the reasons_

 _For the things he'd done_

 _He came a long way_

 _Just to explain_

 _He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping_

 _Then he turned around and headed home again_

Joel just stood and listened, no longer rushing to get home now that he had the pleasure of hearing Sadie sing again. She was so incredible in more ways than one. She was smart, kind, honest, and she watched out for Ellie. Something Joel was grateful for. He did his best to always be there for the girl that was his responsibility for and cared for more than anyone else, but there were times she was out of sight that he wasn't there for her in the moment she needed it. Lucky for him, she had Sadie too.

When she finished playing Joel clapped softly, surprising Sadie. She turned to the direction of the sound, smiling when she saw it was Joel. She hopped off the stage as she said hello and walked over to him. "Spying on me?" she joked.

"Just appreciating good music." he replied as she approached, taking her in. She wore her contagious smile along with a pair of jean shorts and red and blue flannel that matched her shining eyes.

"Well thanks. Didn't hear you come in."

"You weren't supposed to."

Sadie just rolled her eyes. She was always happy to see him. They've become good friends since he and Ellie arrive and his visits always brought her smiles. Part of her wondered if he wanted to ever be more than just friends, but he was with Esther now so there was no point in asking.

"What are you doing in here anyway?" Joel asked, curious to see if there was a reason for her playing.

"Stopped in to play on my way home from Evan's. Maria's down with a bug which means Tommy can't go on our monthly water run so Evan is the next guy on the list. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

Joel's stomach dropped at the new information. Sadie was leaving the settlement's safety and going into dangerous territory filled with infected and bandits. It gave him an uneasy feeling knowing she'd be in danger which must have played across his face seeing as what she said next.

"I go all the time. It's a day there, half a day to gather the water, and a day back. Never takes more than three or four days depending on if there's any trouble with the trail rides there and back." she tried reassuring him. "I'll be back before you know it."

Joel smiled weakly, not feeling any better about it. Part of him wanted to offer to go with her instead, he may not have known the territory as well as she and Evan, but he was a tough survivor. He knew he wasn't invincible, just very capable. But he had Ellie to take care of and couldn't leave her on her own for that long. If it only took a day, he could do it, but like she said it took three to four.

"What about Zach?" Joel asked, wondering who'd watch him while she was gone.

"He's seventeen. Normally Maria keeps an eye on him for me, but she's sick and Tommy is going to be taking care of her so-"

"I'll watch him for you." Joel cut her off, not even thinking twice. For all Sadie's done for him and Ellie, it was the least he could do.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean I don't wanna inconvenience you."

"No inconvenience at all. I'm happy to do it."

"Thanks so much, Joel."

He gave her a smile which she easily returned. _She's got such a nice smile_ , Joel thought.

"Would you and Ellie wanna join Zach and me for dinner?" Sadie offered.

Joel was about to say yes before he remembered Esther. He felt bad since Sadie was leaving tomorrow, but he promised Esther this days ago. "I wish we could, but Esther is actually coming over for dinner to meet Ellie tonight." he explained. "I'm sorry."

Sadie couldn't help but feel a huge wave of disappointment she hoped didn't show. "No I totally understand." she told him with a fake smile. "I'm glad the two are finally meeting."

Joel couldn't sense the change of tone in her voice, but didn't think twice about it. "How about when you get back?" Joel asked to which she agreed to. They both left the hall after that, Sadie walking Joel to his door since it was on the way back to hers. They stopped at the porch steps and looked at one another. "In case I don't see you before tomorrow," Joel began. "Be safe out there. I know you said you've done it a hundred times, but-"

"I promise I will be." Sadie assured him. "It'll be like I never left."

Joel knew that wasn't true though. They saw each other almost every day and it was going to be weird not seeing her for possibly four days. She sometimes walked Ellie back home after work, usually talking with Joel for a while before returning home. Other times they bumped into one another in town or Joel stopping over to see Ellie during his lunch breaks. The point was, Joel was going to miss her.

"Hey Sadie." another voice said.

Ellie.

She came walking out the front door and down the steps, a smile on her face at the sight of Sadie. "Hey kiddo." Sadie greeted with a smile as the young girl joined her and Joel. Sadie gave Ellie the day off while she and Evan organized their water run plans so she hadn't seen her mechanic in the making at all today. "Think you can do me a favor while I'm gone?" Sadie asked her.

"Of course." Ellie replied.

"My garage is getting pretty unorganized. You know where everything goes, so do you think you could help me out and clean it up a bit?"

"Consider it done."

Sadie smiled and then looked the Joel. "I should go. Zach's probably home. I'll see you two when I get back."

She turned to leave, but Ellie's voice stopped her. "Wait!" As soon as Sadie turned back around, she was met by Ellie's arms encircling her in a hug. Sadie immediately hugged the young girl back, but still surprised by her sudden action. Joel was very surprised as well, not seeing this side of Ellie with someone other than him and she only hugged him on occasion. "Be careful out there." she told Sadie who was very touched by the girl's actions and words. "I will." she promised.

Ellie let go of her and gave her a weak smile before heading back into the house. "She really does care about you." Joel told her, still in a bit of surprise from Ellie's actions.

"I care about her, too." Sadie responded.

Before he realized it, Joel pulled Sadie in for a hug of his own. It took a second but Sadie wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. It pained her knowing that she was in his embrace now and later would be dining with Esther, but she just enjoyed the feeling while it lasted. She has come to care a lot for both him and Ellie, both of them wonderful people with great qualities. Only with Joel, the care ran on a much different level that he didn't seem to return. It hurt, but wasn't his fault. You couldn't make someone feel a certain way.

After the two separated, Joel watched Sadie walk off towards her home before heading back inside to prepare for the upcoming evening.

 **OOOOO**

Joel had out on the nicest clothes he had- a pair of dark jeans and a dark gray button up shirt with short sleeves. Ellie was in jeans as well and wore a clean long sleeved shirt to her bite mark was still covered, her hair down instead of her usual ponytail. She set the table and put out napkins while Joel worked in the kitchen, putting the vegetables in dishes and covering the chicken to keep it warm. When the knock at the door sounded, Joel said he'd answer it while Ellie put the glasses on the table.

Opening the front door, Joel found Esther standing on the porch in a dark red dress that went to her knees and had thin straps. Her hair was down and wavy and a smile appeared at the sight of Joel. "Hi." she greeted.

"Wow." he said. "You look great."

A blush crept across Esther's face and Joel stepped aside to let her in. He closed the door and led her towards the table where Ellie was seated. "Ellie, this is Esther." Joel introduced as they approached. She stood up and looked Esther over, not wondering why she caught Joel's attention. She was beautiful.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Ellie." she said with a smile. "I've heard so many good things about you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Ellie responded.

Once the introductions were over the three sat down for dinner, Esther asking Ellie all sorts of questions in an effort to get to know the girl. Ellie revealed her love of comics and puns as well as giraffes, she and Joel sharing a glance when they both thought back to the moment they watched the giraffes in Utah. Esther told the two about her life growing up as a farmer's daughter, hence the reason she and her brother were the ones who cared for most of the animals and helped with growing crops. She told Ellie some of her affinities, like green tea and hiking, while they are one of Ellie's favorite meals. Joel was relieved to see the girls talking easily and getting along. It's all he wanted out of the evening and for Ellie to like Esther since he wanted him and her to work out.

After dinner, Joel brought out some leftover chocolate bundt cake. "Let me guess, Sadie's?" Esther asked.

"How'd you guess?" Joel asked as he cut three pieces and placed them on plates.

"She's the best baker in town. Well only for the most part."

Ellie took a big bite of the cake, smiling when she thought of how she and Sadie made it together after blowing off a day of work. When Ellie got to Sadie's house that day, she was still in a pair of cotton shorts and a muscle shirt saying that the cars weren't going anywhere and that they should enjoy the nice day. Ellie didn't argue and they made the bundt cake as well as tend to some of the plants and crops outside. When Zach got home later in the day, the three sat out on Sadie's small porch to enjoy the weather before Joel showed up to get Ellie and the four enjoyed the bundt cake together.

"She always sends Ellie over with leftovers." Joel told Esther. "It's a good thing my job includes hard labor or I'd have probably put on ten pounds by now."

Esther laughed and enjoyed the desert with Joel and Ellie, heading home afterwards since she had to be up early to care for her animals. Ellie said good-bye in the living room, but Joel walked her out to the porch.

"Sure I can't walk you home?" Joel offered, trying to be gentlemanly.

"No it's alright. But thank you for such a wonderful evening. Ellie's just delightful."

Joel smiled. "She sure is."

"Thank you for introducing us. It means a lot."

Rather than respond with more words, Joel gave her a goodnight kiss that left them both breathless before Esther finally walked off the porch towards home.

Inside Ellie already began cleaning up the dishes as she waited for Joel. When he came back in, he had a smile on his face until he met eyes with Ellie. "So?" he asked, knowing he didn't have to say more.

"She's nice." Ellie told him as she continued with her task.

"That's all I get?"

Ellie looked up as Joel walked over to help her collect the dishes and take them to the sink. "What else do you want me to say?" she asked as she carried the handful of plates to the kitchen.

"What else did you think?" Joel pressed, following her with the glasses in hand.

The two put the dishes by the sink before turning towards each other. "She's nice." Ellie repeated. "And very pretty and has a good sense of humor."

"Did you like her?" Joel questioned.

"Yes I liked her."

Ellie let out an exasperated breath as she went back to retrieve the remnants of the bundt cake.

"Hold up kiddo." Joel said as he walked out to her, telling her to sit down which she did. "I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me about this. I need you to be."

The need for his honesty made her think about his questionable honesty with her about what happened in Salt Lake City, but she didn't dwell on it. Leaning back in her chair, she met his eyes. "Okay I do like her. She is really nice and all the things I just said. But…" her voice trailed off.

"But what?"

"When I see you and Sadie together sometimes, I think there's something between you two."

It was Joel's turn to lean back in his chair only he did in surprise. He liked Sadie, but as a friend. When they first met and shared that dance at the town dinner he thought there may be something there, but then he met Esther who was very forward with how she felt. Sadie never expressed anything like that to him and she seemed to only like him as a friend. They were good friends, too as well as the teenagers they protected and cared for as if they were their own. Joel was incredibly fortunate to have a person as good as Sadie to call a friend and that's all they were. Probably all they'd ever be.

"Ellie," Joel said softly. "Sadie is my friend. That's it."

"But the way you look at each other sometimes, it's like you're both just refusing to say what you really think."

Joel gave Ellie a long look to which Ellie rolled her eyes at. "But what do I know, I'm just a kid."

"Your age has nothing to with this, kiddo." Joel told her. "If a day comes where Sadie and I end up together, I'll be the first to say you were right."

Ellie stood up with a smile. "Oh I look forward to that day."

 **OOOOO**

The next morning, Joel got up early and rushed over to Sadie to say stay safe one more time. Despite brushing aside what Ellie said last night, he had to see her one more time before she left. He was with Esther and cared for her, but his friendship with Sadie has grown quite strong. She was important to him and to Ellie which was clear after her display of feelings the night before. When he arrived, he found her loading up a truck with water containers with Evan and Zach. She spotted him as he approached and met him halfway. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a pleasant smile.

"I just had to say stay safe one more time." he told her, honestly. "Between bandits and infected, I don't think I can say it enough."

Feeling brave, Sadie wrapped her arms around Joel in a hug. He hugged her back easily, knowing if she didn't come he'd be devastated. "I'm not gonna go anywhere." she told him as they separated. "I'm coming right back here in a few days. No need to miss me too much."

Joel just smiled before walking over to the truck and helping load in the last of the supplies before watching her and Evan drive out the gate of the settlement. Zach stood next to him, a scared look on his face as he watched his guardian drive off into dangerous territory. Understanding the boy's fear, Joel put a hand on his shoulder. "You eat breakfast yet, kid?" he asked.

"No." Zach answered.

"Come on, I always cook pancakes on Sundays. Not gonna let you starve on the first day I'm supposed to keep an eye on you."

 **AN: So how would you guys feel about an Uncharted fanfic?**


	14. Blood and Tears

_A/N: I had a customer at work today named Sarah Miller and I got so emotional on the inside. But also I just wanted to thank all of you who have been with the story since Chapter One and all the readers who have jumped on the story and stuck with it since they found it on the site. Your reviews make my day and I'm so grateful to you all for reading what I write. It means the world to me. And if anyone was interested, after I finish one of my other stories, I am going to start up an Uncharted fanfic. Exciting I know. Thanks again for all you guys' support! Stay wild :)_

 **OOOOO**

The day after Sadie left, Joel got relieved from work early due to some rain that came in. It started off as a drizzle, but it wasn't long before it turned to a downpour, soaking everything in the area. Rain and mud puddles formed all over town, the smell of wet terrain and unearthed worms filled the air, and everyone tucked away into their homes to shield themselves from the weather.

Upon returning home, Joel had only changed out of his wet work clothes before Ellie and Zach came rushing into the house dripping wet. "Don't take two more steps." he warned the two before grabbing towels from the bathroom and throwing them at the teenagers. The last thing he wanted to do was clean up water and mud from the floors. The teens took off their shoes at the door and toweled themselves off to the best of their abilities before heading over to the couch. The two helped out Tommy and Maria that morning by pulling weeds and harvesting some of the vegetables from the garden before being rained out.

"Well there goes the day." Ellie commented as she pulled her legs up onto the couch.

"Summer rain. Screwing up peoples' days since the beginning of time." Zach added as he sat back on the couch.

A knock on the front door brought Joel out of the kitchen where he was warming up the coffee from that morning to warm himself up. "I got it." he said as he went over to the door to see who it was. It turned out to be Esther who Joel greeted with a smile and a kiss before leading her into the house. She was carrying a bag of some rations, figuring the two of them could cook dinner together.

"I make a mean casserole." Esther persuaded. Joel just smiled and told her it sounded like a great idea.

"Before you take over the kitchen, can I use it first?" Ellie asked. "There's a recipe Sadie gave me that I wanted to try."

"Go for it, kiddo." Joel told her, causing her to hop off the couch and head into the kitchen, Zach in pursuit figuring he could be of assistance.

Once Joel got Esther a cup of tea, the two sat at the kitchen table talking amongst themselves and playing cards while the teenagers did their thing in the kitchen. Joel heard Ellie mutter profanities under her breath as she moved forward in frustration with the project at hand and just smiled to himself. He still wasn't used to how comfortable and normal things were. Here he was playing cards with a wonderful woman while a couple of teenagers were in the kitchen baking all while sitting in a real home. Part of him knew he'd never be fully used to it after the last twenty years he's lived.

Ellie and Zach ended up baking a tray of apple strudels, the puff pastry a gift to Ellie from Sadie. Once it was in the oven, the teens retook their positions on the couch and put in a movie, Zach's turn to pick. He ended up choosing _Die Hard_ which kept him and Ellie entertained until dinner. While Joel and Ester prepared dinner, Zach kept glancing over and seeing the interaction between the two. Based on the reaction Sadie had when he first mentioned Joel and Esther as a couple, she seemed pretty upset. He guessed that Sadie had stronger feelings for Joel then she didn't want to admit. He felt bad for Sadie, he wanted her to have the happiness she deserved, but he also knew you couldn't force someone to have feelings they didn't have. That wasn't how it worked.

The rain eased up throughout the rest of the afternoon back to a drizzle, but never stopped. The four sat down for dinner right around six, the drizzle still sounding on rooftop as they ate. Esther asked Zach about his work at the infirmary which he explained was pretty slow right now which was a good thing, as it meant no one sick or injured to the point that they were 'infirmitized' as Zach put it.

The four had just cleaned up their dinner dishes when a loud, urgent knocking sounded at the door. It caught everyone by surprise and a sense of worry filled the room. Joel rushed over to the door and opened it, finding a panting, drenched Tommy on the other side. "I need you to come with me, now." he told his brother. "I'll explain on the way."

The other three appeared in the living room, Tommy's face falling at the sight of Zach. Seeing that made Joel knew something was wrong and it involved Sadie. Tommy's eyes found Joel again. "Just you." he added. Joel nodded and grabbed his boots off the floor, pulling them on.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked as she walked over to where Tommy and Joel were.

"Ellie I need you to stay here." Joel told her as he tied the laces on his shoes.  
Esther will you watch these two until I get back?"

"Of course." Esther replied as she looked over at Tommy who was trying to catch his breath.

Before any more questions could be asked, Joel followed his little brother out the front door into the rain. The Miller brothers broke into a run while Joel asked for more details on the situation.

"Sadie and Evan were attacked at the spring." Tommy explained, making Joel's entire stomach drop. Every nerve came alive with fear and worry at the news that two people who Joel came to care for were attacked and most likely injured. "They are at the infirmary. Both of them are pretty beat up, but they're alive."

The world seemed to ease into a slow motion speed as the infirmary came into view. There were several shadows Joel could see in the windows, but couldn't make any specific people out. The brothers burst through the door, finding a small crowd of five or six people Joel barely registered as his eyes scanned for Sadie. Looking around, his eyes landed on the familiar brown hair. Joel pushed through the crowd of people and on the other side of them, he saw Sadie sitting on an exam table. From the side view he had she looked fine, save for the wrap around her wrist. However when Joel found it in him to say her name, her head turned at the sound of her name and revealed a black left eye, split lip, a bandage across the bridge of her nose, a few stitches near her eyebrow, and gauze pad taped to the side of her neck.

When her mouth opened and no words came out as she looked at him, Joel's feet were moving without him even thinking about it. He stood in front of her, bending down to be level with her. He reached a hand out, touching the uninjured side of her face as he observed her injuries at the closer proximity. It wasn't until her eyes shined with water that she leaned her head forward into his shoulder to hide her face from the view of others. Joel carefully placed a hand on the back of her head as she let the few tears slip past her eyes.

"You're alright." Joel whispered as he pressed his lips into her hair. "You're alright."

"We should have killed those bandits when we had the chance." she choked out, referring to the bandits she and him encountered on the run they went on a few weeks ago. "It's my fault."

"Shh." Joel hushed her, trying to calm her down. He moved up to sit next to her and wrapped his arms around her as the tears she shed blended with the raindrops already in his shirt. Ever since he's met Sadie, she's been a happy, shining light and now she was crying with a busted up face staining his shirt with her tears. The sun in the sky wasn't the only sunshine taken away today.

 **OOOOO**

Sadie only had a sprained wrist that would heal in a week and the scrapes and bruises to her face. Evan was worse, sporting a few bruised ribs, a stab wound to his abdomen, and a concussion with a few scrapes to his own face. As it went, the two got to the spring and the bandits got the jump on Evan first which is why he was in worse condition. Sadie managed to get them away from Evan, only to lose some leverage in the brawl. When it was all said and done, the three bandits that attacked them were now dead in the woods which was going to make the entire situation worse now that more blood was spilled. Seeing as the condition Evan was in and the new immediate threat with the bandits, Sadie drove the two of them back in the rain storm that day. Tommy arranged for a town meeting tomorrow, allowing Sadie and Evan to get some rest before a plan was laid out on how to deal with the impending threat.

Joel walked with an arm around Sadie back to him and Ellie's house where Zach still remained. Luckily the rain had finally stopped and left the air humid with the heat from the summer evening. The walk was silent as Sadie regained her composure before she left the infirmary. She still had a head leaned on Joel's shoulder as they walked, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her. The amount of guilt she was feeling was indescribable, realizing her actions nearly cost Evan his life today.

"It isn't your fault." Joel had told her, but she didn't believe that. She made the call to let the bandits live and now she and Evan paid for it. Luckily they both lived.

When they got to Joel and Ellie's, they climbed the porch steps and Joel asked her if she was alright one last time. She just nodded. "Thanks again for watching Zach while I was gone." she said. "I appreciate it."

"No need for thanks. But let's get on in there, yeah?" he asked.

He opened the door and Sadie followed him in, smiling when she saw her seventeen year old on the couch. "Oh my God Sadie!" he said in a terror filled tone as he sprang to his feet and ran over to her.

"Easy kiddo." she said as his arms encircled around her, making her lose her balance from the impact of his weight. She regained her footing and hugged him back, never so happy to in her life. Ellie wasn't far behind and when the young girl saw the condition of Sadie's face, her own fell in shock.

"I'm alright." Sadie reassured the teens as she opened up her one arm to welcome Ellie in for a hug as well. The red head wasted no time making it a three person hug and Sadie embraced the girl welcomingly.

Joel remained by Sadie, smiling when he saw the happiness play on her face from the embrace of their teenagers. Seeing Esther standing by herself he rejoined her in the living room while Sadie enjoyed her little reunion. He thanked Esther for staying to which she said it wasn't a problem. "I think I should go. This looks like a…family matter." Esther told Joel. Before he could respond Esther kissed him goodbye and let herself out, telling Sadie she was glad she was home safe.

As Sadie explained what had happened to Ellie and Zach, Joel couldn't help but think about how Esther referred to this as a family matter. The four of them had grown quite close, but Joel never would have labeled them as a family. But when he looked at it through hindsight, Sadie and Joel were close friends and so were Zach and Ellie. Ellie looked to Sadie for help and Zach was beginning to open up to Joel. Then throw in Tommy and Maria into the mix and there were even more members as well. Maybe they were becoming something like a family.


	15. Start of Something

Sadie opened her eyes to the sunshine greeting her through the window, a contrast from yesterday's rains and clouds. She rolled over in bed as she tried to shake the night's sleep from her body. All she wanted to do right away was go back to bed as the pain from her injuries became even more apparent. Her face felt swollen with all the hits she took that left her with a beat up appearance, her hand ached at the sprain, but what hurt the most was her heart at the fact that Evan was in worse shape than her. The guilt racked her body, the comfort of knowing he would be alright the only thing keeping her upright.

The smell of coffee was what got Sadie vertical, knowing she was in desperate need of liquid joy. She found Zach in the kitchen pouring two mugs. She watched as he added the correct amount of milk and sugar to her mug before he realized she was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, you're up." He greeted with a smile and outstretched hand that held her coffee. "How do you feel?"

"Sore, but I'll live." Sadie reassured him as she accepted the mug of coffee.

Zach watched as she took a seat at the counter, raising the mug to her lips and taking a long sip despite the fact that the mug was still steaming.

"I love you, Sadie." He said.

Sadie looked up from her mug and smiled. "I love you too, Zach."

Zach watched as the woman who raised him since he was seven drank her coffee, thinking of all the things she's done for him in the past ten years. Took care of him when he lost his parents, treated him like he was a son of her own, loved him like he was her own blood, and there hasn't been a day where he didn't feel unloved. When he had nightmares, she was there to sing him back to sleep. When he was sad, she cheered him up anyway she knew how. Every birthday, she found a way to make it special. If he fell sick, she didn't leave his side until he was well again. He was the luckiest kid in the world to fall under the care of Sadie and even though he knew it already, coming so close to losing her reminded him again of just how much she meant to him.

"How about some breakfast?" Sadie asked as she went to stand up. "Yeah?"

"I'll cook." Zach offered. "Eggs and bacon good?"

Sadie smiled and just nodded as she watched Zach take over the kitchen to make breakfast. As she watched, she remembered the town meeting but opted to stay home and discuss matters with Tommy later. She knew he'd understand she'd want the morning to recover a little longer with Zach. Her mind wandered to the even over the last couple of days. The drive to the spring, the ambush, the fear and adrenaline as she fought to keep herself and Evan alive that carried over into the drive to get Evan back to the settlement. She was absolutely terrified that she would return to the settlement to tell his wife that she was a widow. Not wanting to dwell on it, she tried to avoid the whole thing in her head for just a few minutes.

She walked into the living room area over to the mini record player she managed to pick up a couple years ago and fix up. Every now and then on a run she managed to scrounge up some vinyl's in decent condition. At this point she and Zach had small crate of them. Giving the two a nice variety of music.

In the kitchen, Zach listened as the familiar sounds of Bruce Springsteen played quietly in their home. He knew the first song right away. _The Price You Pay_ was one of his favorites. He also noted that if Sadie was playing music, she was definitely feeling better. Music was one of few things in the world that brought her genuine joy. _"Oh, the price you pay, oh, the price you pay_ / _Now you can't walk away from the price you pay"_ she sang, making Zach smile more. If she was singing, she was definitely alright. If she was singing, she was happy.

The two enjoyed their breakfast together, taking advantage in the moment of normality as things around the settlement were going to get tense very soon. Sadie has known long enough that what happened would be Tommy's last straw and he'd do whatever it took to keep his settlement, family, and friends all safe from any more kind of harm or danger.

Sadie and Zach had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when a knock on the door sounded. Zach went to answer it while Sadie put away the dishes. "It's Joel and Ellie." Zach said as the door opened, making Sadie turn around to see the pair walk in. Ellie was in her usual jeans and t-shirt, Joel sporting similar attire except her was wearing a thin flannel with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. But what Sadie noticed was the choppy haircut he was sporting that made her laugh before she could stop herself. Joel rolled his eyes as a hand went to her mouth to contain the laughs.

"Yeah laugh it up." Joel said as he and Ellie walked further into the home.

"I'm sorry, but what happened?" Sadie asked as they sat down at the counter with Zach.

"I tried to trim it since it was starting to get too long."

"Want me to fix it?" Sadie offered. "Because I'm sorry Joel but it looks bad."

"He wouldn't let me do it." Ellie added, making Joel nudge her gently.

"I'm not letting you near my head with scissors." He told her before turning back to Sadie. "And would you?"

"Of course."

Joel gave her a smile as she disappeared to the bathroom to retrieve the items she used to cut Zach's hair. "How's she doing?" Joel whispered to Zach.

"She's alright. A lot better than last night."

"Did she talk about anything else?"

Zach just shook his head. "Think you could hang around for a bit though? Mayella needs my help today at the infirmary and I have to be over there soon."

"Not a problem, go to work."

Sadie reappeared with a zipped case a few moments later, Zach telling her he had to go. "I'll see you this afternoon." She said to him as she gave him a hug goodbye. "Ellie wanna come? Sure Mayella would love an extra set of hands."

Ellie looked at Joel who just nodded. "Go ahead kiddo. Don't be late later." Ellie gave Sadie a hug before she and Zach departed, giving her an extra tight squeeze that let her know she was glad she was alright, but mindful that she was still in a bit of pain.

Once the teenagers were gone, Sadie got to work on Joel's failed attempt at giving himself a haircut.

"From now on, if you need your hair trimmed, just come to me." Sadie joked.

"I'll hold you to that after the endless stream of comments Ellie had to say."

"Oh I'm sure she had a river more than a stream."

Joel chuckled and a comfortable silence filled the air after that as Sadie snipped at Joel's hair trying to fix the damage he's done to the best of her abilities with an injured wrist. He wound up closing his eyes as he felt the scissors and Sadie's fingers glide through his hair, the sensation pretty relaxing.

"What did Tommy say?" Sadie's voice eventually sounded, breaking the silence.

"We are going to do a scouting trip in two days." Joel answered.

"You going?"

"Yeah. Tommy, too."

"Add me to the list."

Joel turned his head to look at her, but Sadie turned his head forward again. "Keep your head still so I don't mess up." She told him.

"Are you sure you want to after-"

"After they nearly killed me and Evan. Absolutely. There is no fucking way I am letting them get away with that."

Joel couldn't help but smile at the words. Almost all the time, Sadie was a calm, cool, and collected person. However, when it came to the people she cared about, she didn't dare shy away from a fight. There was no hesitation in this decision just like there was no hesitation when she knocked out Pete for going after Ellie. Sadie was a fighter, a protector, and she was extremely loyal. A trait that didn't go unnoticed by Joel.

"Alright that should do it." Sadie announced as she set the scissors down. She picked up the mirror she brought out as well and handed it Joel who was happy to see the choppy hair he once had was evened out. It was longer on the top and shorter on the sides, something he hasn't had in a long time. For almost twenty-one years it has looked the same way.

"Thank you." He said as he stood up. "I really appreciate it."

Sadie leaned against the counter to face him, offering him a smile. "Anytime."

Looking at her face, Joel could tell that she really did take a beating. Her bruised eye was the kind of shade of color that was left by a strong force, her slip eye and lip adding to that conclusion. She had taken the bandage off of her nose, revealing a small cut on the bridge of it. The bandage on her neck was also removed, most likely to let the wound get some air to help it heal. But the mark in the flesh looked to be the mark from some kind of blade. Realizing how close it came to her throat and her arteries, if it was any worse she would have died. Joel couldn't help out reach out and touch the area on her neck gently, the feeling making shivers run down Sadie's back. She knew he was thinking of how close she came to death. His other hand went to the bruised side of her face as he thanked every force in the universe for not taking Sadie from him.

"Joel." She said quietly when she saw how deep his thoughts were getting. "I'm alive. Evan's alive. That's all that matters right now."

Joel nodded in agreement and brushed the hair from her face making her half smile as she looked up at him. For a moment, h looked at her lips. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. To wrap his arms around her and lean in until there was absolutely no space left between them. For a moment, he didn't think about the consequences that would follow if he did. He almost lost the woman that has come to be one of his closest friends. He put his head against hers, Sadie's eyes closing when he did.

There was nothing more Sadie wanted than for Joel to do what he was thinking. But she thought about Esther and how it was unfair to her. She deserved to be happy. To have chance to make what she had started with Joel into something wonderful. Just because Sadie didn't act sooner meant she could try again when he found something with someone. As hard as it was, Sadie found it her to take a step back from Joel.

"Let's go see Tommy." She said. "Get this thing organized."

Joel nodded, a small feeling of rejection radiating in him. Except he knew Sadie, unlike himself, thought of Esther in that moment. She was a better person than him in that way. Where he would have had no problem hurting a woman who had no right to be hurt, Sadie would. Joel respected that, but he couldn't help but wonder if Ellie had been correct in saying there was something more between he and Sadie.

 _ **A/N: PLEASE REVIEW MY LOVES**_


	16. Thank You

So this is not a chapter update, but rather a message for all of you in spirit of Thanksgiving. You all have been so patient with me over the months through lack of updating as I pushed through rough patches in my life lately. I joined this website over three years ago with absolutely no idea what it would lead to. But what it has led me to is hundreds, if not thousands for those reading my stories with an account, people reading my stories. There are no words to express the gratitude I feel and have for all those who have read, and stuck, with my stories. The reviews you leave me are honestly the best part of my days sometimes, seeing the viewer numbers grow, and people add me and my stories to their favorites and follows have brought me such great joy over the years. In the last three years I have gone through a lot of highs and lows, but this website and the stories I write for you guys to read has been one of the very few things that have kept me going. I knew I had to stay strong because I know you haven't reached the end of the story yet and I am the only one who can get you there. So I just need to say one giant **THANK YOU** to every single one of you readers. Thank you for your kind words, you growing support, and for not just giving up on my stories when I hit a low point. Thank you and thank you a million more times. I can't say it enough. But I am so grateful for you guys and would not be where I am without your support and words of encouragement. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it, and if not, just a wonderful time in your life. Thank you all again. I love you all so much!

 _ **-Backstroker98**_

Actually, I think I'll sign this with my name.

 _ **-Alicia :)**_


	17. Ambush

A few short days later, Sadie was loading up a truck with a few days' worth of supplies as she prepared to leave with a few others on the scouting trip. It would be her Tommy, Joel, a couple of other guys who were Tommy's go to guys, and Zach and Ellie. Once Joel even volunteered the idea of going out without her, she couldn't hold her tongue. Going out for a day was one thing, but there was no way Ellie could go more than that without Joel around. They spent the better part of a year together fighting together, surviving together, and just being together. Whether it was just sharing a meal or conversation, they did it the two of them. Joel was pretty quick to cave and convince Tommy to being Ellie along. He knew she was smart and capable in her own right and more than able to handle a scouting mission.

It took Sadie a little longer to allow Zach to go on the trip. It took a straight hour of arguing back and forth before she finally caved at Zach's valid points. As much as she wanted him to remain in the safety of the settlement's walls, Zach still lived in an ugly world. An ugly world he had to know how to live in. So with a set of rules he absolutely had to follow, Sadie agreed to take him along on the trip.

As she loaded a final crate into the back of the Ford truck, Sadie turned and saw Joel and Esther talking by the fence. She had an unsettled expression, probably a result of the fear she felt of Joel going out into bandit territory. He kept reassuring her that she had nothing to worry about. "I've made it this far for a reason." He told her.

No matter how good a person Sadie was, she couldn't stop the jealousy rising in her chest. She couldn't deny that she had strong feelings for Joel since shortly after his arrival to the settlement, but he found something with someone. As his friend, Sadie was genuinely happy for him. However, as an admirer, it drove her crazy. The moment they had a few days prior in her home made her think that he might have returned the feelings she had, but seeing him with Esther made her believe that it was an "in the moment" kind of thing.

"Promise me you will come back." Esther said to Joel who offered her a smile as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I'll be back before you know it." He replied as he threw a glance in Sadie and Tommy's direction. "I got some pretty capable people watching my back."

Esther wrapped her arms around Joel and returned the gesture, holding the woman tight in his frame. Despite having the woman in his arms, Joel couldn't stop from glancing over at Sadie. A few days ago he would have jumped at the chance to have her in his arms, but now all he felt was guilt. Guilty for starting something with Esther only to learn it was Sadie that he wanted to be with. As Joel pulled away from Esther, she reached up and pressed her lips to his. He returned the kiss gently and was the one to pull away.

"See ya soon." He told her.

She nodded with a smile and kissed him once more before walking away off.

At the cars, Joel smiled as he saw Sadie and Ellie talking as Zach sat on a truck's tailgate sharpening his knife. The three had gone from strangers to friends to not being able to imagine a life without each other. Sadie and Ellie spent days together fixing up cars while Ellie got to remember what it was like being a kid again with Zach. The two read comics, rode horses, and just got to be teenagers together.

As Joel began walking towards the cars, he was unprepared for what happened next.

One second he was walking and the next, there was a deafening sound accompanied by a blinding flash of light. A force sent him to the ground, his head hitting the ground hard. His eyes squeezed shut as the pain of the spread within his skull. He opened his eyes as his ears went on ringing. He saw Sadie picking herself up off of the ground not far away and going over to where Ellie lay on the ground.

Seeing Ellie on the ground got Joel moving, getting to his feet as quickly as he could manage. He stumbled, falling back to the dirt right away with his head spinning the way it was. Looking where Ellie was again, he saw Sadie helping her sit up against the truck.

She put a hand on the side of Ellie's face as she inspected the trail of blood coming from her hairline. Zach sat next to Ellie as he tried to regain his bearings. He wound up knocked from the tailgate he was sitting on from the blast, resulting in his head meeting the ground. He felt fine aside from seeing the world spin a little bit.

Sadie looked around to see Tommy and a crew of guys running towards the gate locked and loaded. Within seconds, gunshots started going off. "Joel…" Sadie whispered to herself. Peering around the truck, she saw him struggling to get to his feet.

"You two stay right here." She told Ellie and Zach.

Getting to her feet, Sadie moved through the smoke and dust in the air to get to Joel. When she got to him, she wrapped one hand around his bicep and the other around his waist. "Come on get up." She told him as he struggled to his feet. "We gotta move."

Right after she said that, a canister hit the ground not far from them and a blast shortly followed. Joel hit the ground again and Sadie was sent flying back a few feet before hitting the ground. She felt pain shoot up her back immediately after landing. Rolling onto her side, she managed to make out Joel's figure lying in the dirt through the smoke. The sound of footsteps brought her back down to Earth as Zach's familiar voice sounded.

"Sadie!" he exclaimed as his hands reached out to help her up. She got to her feet as Ellie went to help Joel up.

"Come on get up Joel!" she yelled, pulling him up by his arm. He got to his feet and looked at Ellie happy to see that she wasn't too badly injured aside from what looked like a cut at the top of her head. He saw Zach pull Sadie towards cover as he and Ellie followed when shots rang out. Joel's feet went out from under him and unable to support his weight, Ellie fell to the ground with him.

Joel's hand immediately went to his shoulder where the familiar warm, sticky feeling of blood was present. "You gotta run, kiddo." Joel told Ellie as he struggled to get up. More gunshots went off towards the gate as he finally got to his feet. "Run and go find Sadie and Zach."

"I'm not leaving you!" Ellie yelled over the noise at him. "Now come on!"

Joel stumbled as they began to run, but managed to keep up with her nonetheless. He didn't know which way Zach and Sadie ran, but the familiar sound of her voice calling out caught his attention. The two took cover behind a house and was waving them down. Once they saw they had their attention, they ducked out of the way of passing by bullets. "That way!" Joel yelled to Ellie. They ran towards the two, but as they passed another house, two arms pulled Ellie out of Joel's line of vision. He went into survivor mode immediately as he rounded the corner and saw Ellie struggling to get free of a bandit's grip. With the bandit's back to him Joel had the advantage of being able to get the jump on him, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and twisting hard. The bandit's body fell limp to the ground as Ellie turned around.

"Thanks." She said as she caught her breath.

"Let's go kiddo."

Ellie went to follow Joel, only when he stepped out into the open again the butt of a gun met his temple hard that sent his body crumpling to the ground. Before she could even react, another bandit came into sight and aimed his gun at Ellie. "You move, you die." He warned.

Anger arose in Ellie more than it has in a long time as she met the bandit's eyes. He appeared as most bandits did, with ratty clothes that should have been thrown out ages ago. His eyes were milky around the edges and his teeth were far from white, the enamel's shade now an off yellow color. His face was scruffy with hair and based on the bags under his eyes, it has been a long while since he had a decent rest.

"You're gonna come with me." He growled.

Ellie only had time to grind her teeth a little bit before a force hit her head and everything went black.

 **OOOOO**

When Sadie and Zach ducked away from the bullets after locating Joel and Sadie, they didn't have a choice but to try to get out of all the crossfire. They ducked into a random house just as Zach completely doubled over. Instinctively, Sadie's arms reached out to catch him and she managed to keep him from hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"What is it?" she asked.

"My head…" Zach almost whined.

Sadie remembered the fall he took after the first blast went off and realized he probably had a serious concussion. "You'll be alright." She told him as she pulled his head into her lap. He couldn't get back up again, he would've passed out most likely, and Sadie wasn't even thinking about leaving him with what was going on outside. She sat on the floor with his head in her lap as he took deep breaths. It wasn't long before Zach wound up pushing himself away from Sadie to throw up. Through his eyes, the world wouldn't stop spinning and all it was doing was making him nauseas with every passing second. Sadie rubbed his back as he let it out, knowing how much pain he was in. Looking at the door, Sadie prayed to see Joel and Ellie come through it or pass by a window as they ran for safety. But they never did.

 **A/N: I know it's been a while, but I had MAJOR writer's block and finally broke out of it literally today. It probably could be better, but I just had to get something up so here ya go. Also THE SEQUEL. THERE IS FINALLY GOING TO BE A SEQUEL. THERE IS A HIGHER POWER. Any predictions? Share with me in the review section! Another thing, I posted the first chapter of my Uncharted fanfic maybe a month ago, but I've had writer's block with all my stories so I'm only getting around to the second chapter after I post on here. So give it a look if you get the chance. Love you guys!**


	18. Rescue

Later that evening Sadie sat on Tommy and Maria's couch with Zach, doing her best to keep him awake as he laid his head in her lap. He had a concussion and because of that he was not permitted to sleep. Esther was sitting at the kitchen table while Tommy sat across the room from Sadie as they contemplated a plan. Eight people were killed and ten were missing-Joel and Ellie included. Everyone knew it was too dangerous to go after them in the night. The infected were more plentiful in the later hours of the night, it was too dark to go searching, and after the day's events everyone needed to be with their families. Or what they had left of them in some cases.

"We're going first thing in the morning looking." Tommy told Sadie who nodded in agreement. "We won't take a lot of people, just enough that we can get in, get them, and get out."

Sadie just nodded wordlessly once again as she ran her fingers through Zach's hair. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. Joel and Ellie were taken and whether they were alive no one knew. But it was that tiny detail that held Sadie together rather then send her crumbling to the floor. She didn't know. They could be dead, they could, but they could also be alive. Until she saw their bodies, they were alive in her mind. The two of them had beating hearts, strong pulses, and warm blood flowing through their veins.

Glancing towards the kitchen, Sadie stole a look at Esther as Maria consoled her. Once it was discovered Joel and Ellie were taken, Esther fell apart in tears as the situation hit her full force. Sadie knew the pain Esther was feeling because although Sadie and Joel's relationship was not the same as he and Esther's, she still cared for him deeply. And Ellie…oh god Ellie. The young girl who had so much strength and courage and has blossomed into such a remarkable member of the community. There was some comfort in knowing the two were at least together.

 **OOOOO**

Joel awoke to pain. His head was aching worse than he's felt with any hangover or concussion and his shoulder all but screamed in agonizing pain. Reaching his hand to it, he found his shirt damp with blood. A pained grunt escaped his dry lips as the ache stretched down the whole length of his arm. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking at a what used to be a white ceiling with large pipes running up and down and across it. He sat up and the sight of familiar Converse sneakers caught his eye. To his right he found Ellie unconscious.

Ignoring the pain throughout the inches of his body, he moved to her side and saw the small pool of blood dried on the floor by her head. When he took a closer look at it he saw it was from a hard hit she took. Aside from that and a cut on her forehead, she seemed unharmed.

"Ellie?" his voice came out scratchy and tired, but vocal none the less. He brushed some of the hair out of her face. "Come on baby girl wake up." He pulled Ellie off the floor and into his lap, supporting her head carefully. She was still breathing soundly and her heart was still beating with strength. Right now, that was enough to keep Joel from going out of his mind.

When he finally looked around, he saw that he and Ellie were enclosed behind a fence with concrete walls on the other three sides of them. Across the small hallway outside the fence sat a woman with her knees pulled to her chest and head buried in her arms. Joel held Ellie tighter as he put pieces together in his head. They were taken alive for a reason. A reason Ellie was already familiar with and endured once before.

A door opening made Joel pull Ellie closer to his body. Once the sound echoed through the room, fear filled the air like smoke. With every short and labored breath, each person in the room on the wrong side of the fence felt their chests tighten in pain at what was coming. Footsteps came next as they walked down the hall. As they got closer to where Joel and Ellie were locked up, he looked up to see a disheveled and grimy woman walk by.

As she made her way down the line, she stopped when she saw Joel awake. She crouched to be level with Joel's eyes, her mouth curling into a smile. The smile revealed yellowed teeth. "You're awake." She said, her voice scratchy and old. "Finally."

Joel held remained quiet as the woman stood and walked off down the rest of line.

Ellie moving in his arms caused him to look away from the woman. "Ellie?" Joel said as he readjusted his arms so she could sit up. Her hand went to her head as she sat forward, Joel supporting her by placing a hand on her back. "Ugh." She moaned.

"How ya feelin' kiddo?" he asked.

"Pretty shitty."

"Yeah I'm with you there."

"Where are we?"

"Not sure."

Ellie looked around and took in her new surroundings, distraught at what she saw. Flashbacks of her hellish endeavor with David appeared before her eyes, causing her to feel sick to her stomach. She never wanted to go through that again, but also knew the reality of her world. There were more bad people than good in this world.

"What are we gonna do, Joel?" she asked as she regained her bearings.

"Haven't figured it out yet, but I will." Joel reassured her.

 **OOOOO**

By the time the sun was in the sky for an hour, Sadie was approaching the outskirts of the hunters' campsite with Zach in tow. They only had a few others with them on other sides of the perimeter so they weren't all grouped together and an easy target. Sadie managed to convince Tommy to stay back with Maria because the last thing Sadie wanted was for her friend to witness his brother in any condition besides alive. It took a solid thirty minutes of arguing with Zach until she agreed to bring him with her. She didn't want him to go because he was hurt, but after what happened all he wanted to do was be close to Sadie. That and Ellie was his best friend. One of his only friends. And he needed to make sure she was okay as soon as he could. By the end of it, Sadie agreed if he followed every single one of her directions.

The hunters repurposed an old ranger station in the mountains as their campsite which wasn't too large so it wouldn't be too difficult to find out where they were holding Joel, Ellie, and the others taken from the town. Sadie felt her heart rate speed up as she prepared herself and Zach to make their first move onto the site. "Okay." Sadie said to herself as she took a deep breath. "They'll be okay."

Just as they were about to move onto the site, they saw a figure burst through the doors of the one side building. The familiar red hair caught the attention of Sadie and Zach. "Ellie!" Zach said in a loud whisper. Before Sadie could stop him, he took off towards the direction Ellie ran.

"Zach!" Sadie yelled after him, but he just kept running. "God damn it."

She took off after him as he ran through the tree line after Ellie. The two dodged low branches and hopped over roots and sticks while trying to remain as quiet as possible. The last thing they needed was to get discovered by the hunters.

The two managed to cut Ellie off in her sprint, Zach reaching out and managing to grab her. "Let go of me mother fucker!" Ellie shouted.

"Ellie it's me! It's us!" Zach told her as he held onto her. Once Ellie realized it was him and then saw Sadie approach, she stopped struggling against Zach's grip. When she saw Sadie rushing up and felt Zach's hold on her tighten into a hug, she felt tears prick at her eyes. For such a long time it was just her and Joel relying on the other to get them out of situations like this, but now they had other people who cared for them. People like Sadie and Zach.

Once Zach let go of Ellie, Sadie wrapped the young girl up in her arms. Ellie didn't hesitate to hug Sadie back as tight as she could. Despite the physical pain her body was feeling, Ellie felt immensely better now that Zach and Sadie were here.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Sadie asked her.

Ellie just nodded as she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "But Joel is still in there."

"How'd you get out?" Zach asked.

"They were taking me somewhere, I bit the assshole's wrist, and ran."

Sadie hugged Ellie again, relieved that she was alive and to hear Joel was alive. She got the two teenagers out of sight behind the trees so she could look over Ellie's head wound as she explained where Joel and the others were. She told her the layout, how many hunters she saw, and any other information she found would be useful. Once Sadie had all the information, she radioed to the others with the group to tell them where the others were being held. "We'll move in now." Evan radioed back.

"Alright you two are gonna stay here." Sadie told the teenagers, causing them to look at her in shock. "Only because if something happens in there you two are still out here if we need you." Zach and Ellie reluctantly agreed and hid in the tree line as Sadie made her way onto the campground. Ellie watched the fear play across Zach's face as he watched Sadie disappear. She knew the pain he was feeling and just put a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be alright." She reassured him. Zach just nodded.

Sadie made her way to the building Ellie pointed out to her quietly without getting detected. She was careful opening the door, mindful to not make a sound in case someone was inside. A foreign voice could be heard which led her to slipping her knife from her belt, entering the room crouched down to find a woman with her back to her.

"We'll find your girl," the woman said. "And bring her back and make sure she suffers."

Within a few seconds, Sadie had the woman's head locked in her arm and the knife going through the back of her skull. "Good night." She said.

"Sadie?" a familiar rough southern voice said.

When she looked to the right, Sadie felt her face widen with a smile when she saw Joel sitting on the floor of a cell alive. He was covered in blood and looked like he was running on fumes, but he was alive. Despite his state, Sadie was never so happy to see him.

"You're okay!" she cried.

Sadie didn't waste any time opening the door and falling to her knees next to Joel. She looked at the blood on clothes and pulled his shirt back to look at his gunshot wound. It was a through and through, meaning the bullet wasn't lodged in his flesh or bone. A small silver lining in a very shitty situation. "Ellie?" he muttered.

"Is safe with Zach outside." Sadie quickly answered as tears filled her eyes. "Now let's get you out of here, honey."

Sadie helped Joel to his feet, but she could already tell it wasn't going to be an easy trip. He was down who knows how much blood, exhausted, and spent hours in a cell on a floor. Even when she got him away from the camp, the car she brought was a few miles through the woods. But both survived worse and could get out of this one.

"Evan I have Joel, but no one else is in here." Sadie radioed.

"We got the others, all the hunters are preoccupied with some infected around the perimeter." Evan replied.

"Watch your backs. We'll see you back home."

"Same to you, Sadie."

Sadie turned back to Joel and offered a smile as she slipped an arm around his waist. "Lean on me and stay quiet. We're going home."

Joel put an arm around Sadie's shoulders as she led the way out, the two going as quickly and quietly as possible. Even his weakened state, Joel felt better now that he was with Sadie and knew Ellie was safe. He moved as fast as his legs allowed, thanking the rush of adrenaline to give him the boost he needed.

When a show rang through the air though, Sadie and Joel hit the ground with a hard thump. "AHHH!" Joel heard Sadie cry out in pain. Looking back, Joel saw a hunter approaching, gun raised.

"Thought you could get away assholes?" the hunter yelled from afar.

Before he could get any closer though, another shot rang out and the hunter dropped to the ground. From behind them Zach and Sadie came out of the trees, Zach with a gun raised. As soon as the coast was clear, he rushed over to Sadie and Ellie to Joel.

"Come on, Sades." Zach said as he helped her to feet. "Just a flesh wound."

Once Sadie and Joel were on their feet, Ellie and Zach got them away from the campground and into the woods. Each teenager felt like jumping for joy at the fact all four of them got out alive, but knew they weren't in the clear yet. They wouldn't be in the clear until they walked through the gates of home.

 **OOOOO**

Between Joel and Sadie's injuries, the four ended up having to set up camp for the night in an old park medical lodge. They were lucky enough to find some supplies to patch up Joel and Sadie and managed to block off the door and windows making the place safe for the night. Zach and Sadie had rations in their bags that would last them until tomorrow so for the moment, things were alright.

Later in the night, Sadie woke up to find Joel awake too. "Hey." She said in a sleepy voice. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I told Ellie to get some sleep." Joel told her. "I'm alright for now."

Sadie sat up next to him, mindful of her sore leg. She was lucky like Joel was, the bullet went straight through and wouldn't take long to heal. Joel would take a little longer to heal since his wound started to get infected, but nothing too severe.

Across the room Ellie and Zach were out cold, drained from the day's events. It made Sadie smile. "They did really good today." She said. "Seems like just yesterday I was teaching Zach to shoot."

"Seem like just yesterday I was taking waking up in Boston." Joel retorted.

Sadie smiled as she looked at Joel. "I'm really glad you two are alright."

"Thank you for coming after us."

The two sat in comfortable silence as the nighttime silence surrounded them. Joel stole a glance at Sadie as he realized how much he's come to care for her. Despite the relationship he had started with Esther, he knew she wasn't the one he should be with. Sure, Esther was a good person with a kind heart, but the feelings he had for her didn't run as deep as they did for Sadie. It took almost getting taken from her forever to realize that he cared for her more than just a friend. Before he realized it, he was leaning closer to her face.

"Joel…" Sadie whispered, stopping him. "You can't."

He retreated and looked at Sadie with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"Okay maybe I'm not."

Sadie reached out and put her hand on his. "Joel I care for you, I do, but I also care for Esther." She began. "I've known her a long time and I won't be that woman who makes a move on her guy. If things were different I wouldn't stop you, hell if you weren't with Esther I'd make a move, but you are with her and she's my friend."

Joel watched as Sadie went back to her original spot to return to her sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He felt like shit for pulling such a low move, but at least now he knew for sure how he felt. About Esther, about Sadie, and about what he really wanted. And what he wanted was to be with Sadie. Since arriving in Jackson County she's been his closest friend, was always there for him and Ellie, and never failed to bring light to a shitty day. How it took him this long to realize this was beyond him, but he's just glad he finally did.

 **A/N: Long time without an update, but it's only because I'm wrapping up high school right now. Once summer hits though, I AM FINALLY FREE OF SUMMER SCHOOL WORK and will have plenty of time to update in my free time. Thank you to all those who have stuck with the story and continue to read along. It means the world to me! Love y'all damn it.**


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